Butterflies
by Kagezuchi
Summary: Nov 19: will try to continue during winter, so busy! Sakura attempts to hook up Ino with Shino, but things aren't turning out like she planned. Doubts begin to rise concerning herself and Sasuke as she finds herself attracted to Shino.
1. Haruno meets Aburame

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters affiliated with Naruto.  
  
Notes: This story will start off lighthearted, but it will get serious later on. Especially when the battles and fight scenes come around. It should also be noted that this story takes place sometime after the Chuunin Exam saga. Also, for the sake of flexibility and originality, this story does not adhere strictly to the manga storyline.   
  
CHAPTER BEGINS...  
  
Sakura and Ino were sprawled out on the cashier counter of Ino's family's flower shop, staring wistfully and vacantly out into empty space. Both of them had their heads on the counter, letting the cool plywood surface soothe their young troubled minds. Business was slow today, thus they were allowed to remain that way for the next fifteen minutes, motionless and silent...  
  
A listless Ino finally sighed, and raised her head to ask, "So why did Sasuke-kun leave the village?"  
  
A gloomy Sakura replied, "He left to go search for his brother. Again."  
  
"Again?!" Ino groaned and plopped her head back onto the counter with a thud. "My dear Sasuke. He can be so spontaneous sometimes - "  
  
Sakura roused herself from her lethargy, just so she could shoot a nasty glare at Ino. "Your Sasuke?! He's MY Sasuke!"  
  
Ino seemed somewhat galvanized by Sakura's reaction, and she sat up now. "Oh, poo poo, Sakura-chan, you might as well give up. Everyone knows that gentlemen prefer blondes."  
  
"What a bunch of hooey," Sakura muttered under her breath. "There's no way I'm going to lose Sasuke to you."  
  
"We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?" Ino fluffed back her hair, supremely confident in her sex appeal, as always. "We'll see what Sasuke does when he comes back."  
  
"We'll see," Sakura grunted in response, not in the mood to argue any more with her friend over this endless battle for Sasuke's heart. But she was still worried about her relationship with Sasuke-kun, nonetheless. She had been teammates with him for so long, and she had done everything she could to express how much she liked him, and yet... he rebuffed her every single time, without fail.  
  
He obviously cared for her as a friend. But beyond that? She did not know. And she wanted to know, she wanted him to say it. But he never revealed anything to her. It bothered her, and it nagged her, and it tore at her heart. Knowing that they had been through so much together, and that they were in the perfect situation to become close, and yet, after all this time, they were still so far apart...  
  
She knew that Sasuke was a troubled boy, and that he had so many issues to resolve. Silly things like teenage crushes and romance were nothing more than irritating distractions to him, she was sure of that. That was why he had kept her at bay for so long. He simply did not have the time for those sort of things.  
  
Or was it something else? Did he just not find her all that attractive? Was he just biding his time, waiting for the perfect girl to come around? Or maybe he was still making up his mind between Ino and Sakura, carefully evaluating as to which girl he liked more. If so, Sakura thought to herself, maybe she should just patiently wait and let him decide between her and Ino. And when Sasuke made his decision, whomever he decided upon, Sakura would be all right with it. Yes, maybe she should just patiently wait and let him decide...  
  
"HELL NO," Inner Sakura shouted at the top of her imaginary lungs. "Love is war, damn it, and I am going to make sure Sasuke realizes that I am the only one for him!"  
  
Outer Sakura then closed her eyes, as her formidable mind started to come up with a plan. She needed a plan to make sure that Sasuke would be hers, and hers only... she opened her eyes and suddenly asked, "Ino, I was just wondering. Why do you like Sasuke?"  
  
The blond kuniochi stared strangely at Sakura, wondering why her incredibly smart friend was asking such an incredibly stupid question. "Because he's cute. Duh!"  
  
Sakura's broad forehead rankled at her friend's condescending tone, but she kept her cool as she patiently said, "Okay, let me rephrase my question. What kind of boys do you like?"  
  
"I like Sasuke-type boys. Duh!"  
  
Argh! Inner Sakura wanted to bonk Ino over the head, but Outer Sakura resisted the urge as she carefully prodded Ino into elaborating further. "What is it about those boys that you like? You like dark hair? Dark eyes? What?"  
  
"Ohh, you want to talk about THAT stuff." Ino nodded in understanding. "I see what you mean! Well, I do like dark hair, because dark hair makes a man look more mysterious, you know. Oh, and I love the dark brooding type, too! It's so sexy when a dark handsome man just sits there, brooding and moping! He's just inviting you to come over and brighten his day, and then when you do, he'll smile and be happy. Then love will blossom in the air - "  
  
"Okay, okay, I get the idea. You like dark and mysterious guys."  
  
"Exactamundo! But don't forget handsome! And don't forget the hair! He has to be a handome, dark, and mysterious guy with nice hair!" Ino paused, then added, "He has to be a sharp dresser, too. And he has to have a sexy deep voice. And he has to have nice teeth. And he has to have trimmed nosehairs, because I can't stand guys who have bushes poking out of their nostrils. Oh, and I hate smokers. If he smokes, no WAY is he getting close to me. You know how much I complain about Asuma-sensei's stinky cigarette smell! Anyway, that reminds me, my perfect boy would also smell good. It's not absolutely necessary, but it would be nice if he wore a dab of cologne. Nothing too expensive, mind you. Maybe something by Calvin Klein. Does Sasuke wear cologne? I think he does, doesn't he? He smells pretty good..."  
  
One hour later, Sakura was walking down the street, tiredly rubbing her forehead and stretching her neck. Geez, Ino sure did have a lot of expectations when it came to men. But basically, it all boiled down to one thing: Ino liked dark and mysterious men. And that was the key to Sakura's plan for claiming Sasuke-kun all to herself: Sakura had to find a guy who was Ino's type, and somehow, someway, she had to get Ino to fall in love with that guy.  
  
She could already tell that this plan would be difficult to implement. Although she lived in a shinobi village full of dark and mysterious people, it would not be easy to find a guy as dark, mysterious, and handsome as Sasuke-kun. And even if she found such a guy, she somehow had to get Ino to notice him. Which was easier said than done, considering Ino's tunnel vision when it came to boys and Sasuke Uchiha.  
  
But still, if she could pull this off, the reward would be more than worth the effort. She had to give it an earnest shot! She just had to! For love, damn it!  
  
"Dark and mysterious... dark and mysterious..." Sakura sat down on a bench, leaned back to relax, and lightly closed her eyes. Then, with her immense mental faculties, she quickly ran an analysis on potential candidates.  
  
Ideally, it would be best if Ino fell for one of her teammates. Unfortunately, Sakura knew there was no chance in hell that Ino would ever be attracted to Shikamaru or Choji. Well, maybe there was a slight chance with Shikamaru. After all, he was insanely intelligent, and he also wasn't all that bad-looking (unlike poor Choji). However, Ino had privately complained many times to Sakura about Shika's slacker attitude and misogynistic tendencies. And he wasn't really dark or mysterious, either. Poop. He just wouldn't do.  
  
Okay, so the guys on Team 10 weren't suitable prospects. What about the guys on Team 9? Rock Lee and Neji Hyuuga. Hmmm. Rock was a sweet boy, but unfortunately, he was a bit too "unique" (to put it nicely). However, Neji was an intriguing possibility. He was certainly the mysterious and brooding type, and he was rather good-looking. But his attitude was the absolute pits, as far as Sakura was concerned. Then again, Sasuke wasn't exactly Mr. Congenial, either, so maybe Ino would be able to tolerate Neji's surliness. Those Hyuuga eyes were rather creepy, but they were also somewhat mesmerizing. And he had nice hair, as far as she could tell from underneath that cap he always wore.  
  
Sakura nodded to herself as she placed a mental checkmark next to a mental image of a frowning Neji Hyuuga. Okay, moving on down to Team 8. Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame. Hmm, Kiba was probably a bad choice, since he was the polar opposite of Sasuke. The dog boy was incredibly noisy and excitable, compared to Sasuke's unflappable calm and coolness. As for that Shino guy? Well, he was certainly the dark and mysterious type. As a matter of fact, Sakura barely knew anything about him at all. Unfortunately, the one thing that she did know about him... bugs! Ewww! That whole bug thing was a big mark against him, for sure. She was already shivering from just thinking about the grossness of bugs and spiders and all those creepy crawly critters. But still, Shino was dark and mysterious. He was tall, too, for whatever that was worth. And he didn't seem too ugly, at least from what little she could tell from behind his sunglasses, the genin headband, and the perpetually upturned collar of his coat.  
  
Okay, it was settled. A mental checkmark next to a mental image of a stonefaced Shino. Bug Boy would be her #2 target behind Neji. Now, who else was left? Oh yeah. Naruto.  
  
Hmm, could Ino ever find him attractive?  
  
"Hahahahahahaha!"  
  
Sakura had to wipe away tears of mirth as she stood up from the bench, well-rested and ready to carry out her plan. Okay, it was decided. The targets were Neji Hyuuga and Shino Aburame. And it wasn't even 1 o'clock yet in the afternoon. Plenty of time to hunt down those two!  
  
She took a deep breath and whispered to herself, "This is an A-class mission, Sakura! Your relationship with Sasuke may hinge on the very success of this mission! Your future happiness may depend on the outcome of today's efforts!" She looked up to the bright blue sky high above. "Sakura! You must not fail!"   
  
Inner Sakura agreed with a shout and a fist in the air: "Hell yeah!"  
  
Everyone knew where the Hyuugas lived, of course, since the Hyuugas were the closest thing to royalty in the Konoha Village. However, not everyone was welcome to enter beyond the walls of Hyuuga estate. Thus, it was with a hint of trepidation that Sakura tentatively knocked on the walls' main gate.  
  
Much to Sakura's surprise, however, the one who opened the gate was not a Hyuuga family member. Rather, it was one of Neji's teammates, Tenten. The cute perky weapons specialist stuck her head out of the gate, and she smiled warmly at the sight of Sakura. "Hello, Sakura! How are you doing?"  
  
Sakura smiled back. "Hi, Tenten. I'm doing great, you?"  
  
"I'm doing wonderful! Hey, are you here to see Hinata?"  
  
"Actually, I'm here to see Neji. Is Neji home?"  
  
Tenten's face suddenly became curiously tense, and she said rather hastily, "Neji and I are busy training. Maybe you can come back some other time."  
  
"Oh, I see. Can I talk to him for just a little bit? It won't take too long."  
  
"Sorry, Sakura, we're busy."  
  
"Okay, is Hinata home? I want to ask her if she's seen Shino - "  
  
"She's out training with her group, bye bye, have a nice day!"  
  
Tenten abruptly slammed the door shut on her fellow Genin, leaving a puzzled Sakura in the dust. The pink-haired kuniochi scratched her head at Tenten's odd behaviour, then shrugged as she walked off. "They must be doing some top-secret training, or something. Oh well, for now, I guess I should go look for Shino..."  
  
Meanwhile, Tenten was walking back to the Hyuuga branch family's building, thinking to herself, "That nasty Sakura, coming here to flirt with Neji! She had better stay away from my precious darling Neji, because Neji is mine! All mine!" The girl laughed maniacally now, raising her hands to the suddenly dark and cloudy sky as a thunderclap boomed high above. "He's mine, all mine! Hahahaha!"  
  
Neji called out from the courtyard, "Hey Tenten, who was at the door?!"  
  
Evil Tenten immediately reverted back to Sweet Normal Tenten, and the sky became a bright crystal blue once again. "Oh, it was nobody important! Hey, you want to practice Kaiten again?"  
  
Roughly an hour later, Sakura poked her head out of a poofy leafy bush and finally made visual contact with her second target: Shino Aburame.  
  
He was sitting on the edge of a large flat-topped rock overlooking a small thin creek, his hands resting easily by his sides, his feet dangling over the edge. Although his head was pointed right at her, she was not sure if he had noticed her yet because he had not reacted at all to her appearance. He was deathly still, staring straight ahead and ignoring her. Maybe his eyes were closed, and he was asleep or meditating? She could not tell, because those sunglasses of his were plenty opaque, not revealing anything behind them.  
  
She raised a hand in greeting, and his facial expression changed from behind the glasses and coat collar. Then he briefly nodded in acknowledgement. Yes, he was definitely awake. Buoyed by his response, Sakura emerged fully from the bush, and called out, "Hello, Shino-san! How are you?"  
  
"Hello, Sakura-san."  
  
That was it. A taciturn monotone reply. Hmm, she would have to do most of the talking, it seemed. Oh well, that was to be expected. She knew that Shino didn't talk much, whether he was being addressed by cute girls, rude boys, jounin instructors, murderous puppet masters, etc etc.  
  
The creek was a shallow one, with numerous rocks poking out from the surface of the water. And she started talking as she hopped across the creek, from rock to rock. "Hey Shino, I've been looking for you! Luckily for me, I ran into Hinata-san just outside her home, and she told me that you were probably at this training area!"  
  
Shino was now turning his head to watch her hop, as she continued to talk. "Anyway, I wanted to talk you about something! I'm not interrupting anything, am I? Hinata said that you were searching for Kikai bugs out here, but it seems like you're done?"  
  
"Yes, I am done searching."  
  
"Oh, okay, cool!" Sakura had successfully traversed the creek now, and with a playful hop, she ended up on the rock with him. She didn't want to give him the wrong idea, though, and she maintained a comfortable distance betweeen the two as she sat down on the opposite end of the rock, wrapping her arms around her jackknifed legs. "Just curious, how did your search go? Did you find lots of those bugs?"  
  
"I found a good number of them."  
  
He now reached for something beside him, and Sakura noticed that a backpack and a lunch pail were also lying on the rock. Shino was opening the pail, and she said, "Ooooh, yummy! What's inside?!"  
  
"Bugs."  
  
Sakura's excitement promptly took a nosedive into the ground. "Ugh. I see."  
  
She then watched with morbid fascination as he inserted a hand into the pail, and bugs began to slowly creep out of the pail and into his coat sleeves. He just sat there, as more and more bugs made the trek from the pail to his coat, and after a few seconds of silence, Sakura's academic curiosity got the better of her.  
  
Stomach doing flips and somersaults inside her belly, she couldn't help but ask, "What are you doing? Are those the bugs you collected just now?"  
  
"Yes, they are. I am now establishing communication with these bugs from the wilderness, so that we can form our symbiotic relationship."  
  
"Wow, you can talk to them?"  
  
"Yes, I talk to them. And they talk to me." He looked up from the pail, pitch black sunglass lenses now focusing on her. "And as for you, Sakura-san, what did you want to talk about?"  
  
Sakura was a little weirded out by his utter nonchalance concerning the swarm of insects traveling up his coat sleeves, but she did her best to hide it. "Oh yeah, Shino, I wanted to talk to you about a friend of mine. You know Ino, right?"  
  
"Not really. I know who she is, though."  
  
"Hmm, that's good enough." Sakura waved a dismissive hand . "Anyways, I was just wondering, what do you think of her?"  
  
He paused, apparently surprised by her question. Then he said, "She seems like a nice person. She is also a talented ninja." Another pause of hesitation, then he asked, "Why do you ask?"  
  
"Ino and I have been friends for a long time now, you know, and I have gotten to know her so well, I can pretty much tell when Ino has a crush on a boy." Sakura lowered her voice to a clandestine whisper. "And, well, I think there's a good chance that she might like you, Shino!"  
  
If the bug ninja was surprised, his face didn't show it. But he took another long pause before asking, "Are you sure?"  
  
"Nope, I'm not sure." Sakura put on a face of distress now. "You see, that's the problem with Ino. She has always had this problem where she is just too darned shy around guys she has crushes on. She's too shy to talk to them. She's too shy to even talk about them!"  
  
Shino tilted his head at that. "Odd. She does not seem to be shy around Sasuke Uchiha."  
  
"Sasuke-kun?! Hahaha!" Sakura laughed heartily at Shino's ignorance. "Ino doesn't have a crush on him! She's just pretending that she likes him!"  
  
Shino had a strange look on his face now. "She is?"  
  
"Oh yeah, she told me a while ago that she flirts with Sasuke-kun only to make the other boys jealous. You know, to make herself seem more desirable."  
  
"I don't understand."  
  
"Don't try to understand the mind of a teenage girl in love, Shino-san. Anyways, believe me, although Sasuke-kun is cute, I've been suspecting for a while that she may have her heart set on someone else."  
  
"And you're saying that person is me. Did she tell you this?"  
  
"No, no, I told you, she's too shy to talk about this sort of stuff! But she has dropped hints that she thinks you are - " Sakura paused for dramatic effect. "Dark and mysterious!"  
  
Shino stared out over the river now, as he commented, "How interesting."  
  
"It is, isn't it?" She was standing up now, dusting off her rear end. "Now, I can't guarantee she feels that way about you, because I'm only guessing. But still, I thought I should give you a heads up. Just in case!"  
  
"I see. Thank you for the information, Sakura-san."  
  
"No problem, Shino-san!" Sakura then frowned, as she took a good look at his hair. "And really, you should try to do something with your hair. It's so big and poofy and all over the place. You should try combing it back or down or something. It would look much nicer, I think."  
  
Shino reached up with a bug-laced hand to feel his wild hair. "I will take your advice into consideration, Sakura-san."  
  
"That's all I ask for, Shino-san! Okay, see you later!"  
  
She cheerfully waved goodbye, then skipped off, leaving behind a sitting, silent, and pensive Shino. He remained motionless for two full minutes, absorbing what had just happened. Even the bugs on his sleeves were at a standstill now, just sitting with their abdomens gently waving in rhythm, apparently in tune with their master's mood.  
  
Then he leaned over to stare at his reflection's hair in the creek water. "It would look much nicer? Hmm."  
  
CHAPTER ENDS...  
  
Notes: Don't ask why I added Evil Tenten in there. I just felt like it! 


	2. Don't Use Pert Plus, Damn It!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters affiliated with Naruto. 

Notes: This story will start off lighthearted, but it will get serious later on. Especially when the battles and fight scenes come around. It should also be noted that this story takes place sometime after the Chuunin Exam saga. Also, for the sake of flexibility and originality, this story does not adhere strictly to the manga storyline.

Hey, and to the readers, thanks for the reviews! Fanfic authors adore feedback!

Anyway, enjoy.

CHAPTER BEGINS...

Four people were sitting in a row at the counter of Ichiraku Ramen, a popular little ramen booth in the middle of Konoha village. The biggest person was all the way to the left, a fatherly figure of a man. A noisy blond girl was to his right. Then a grouchy pink-haired girl was up next. And finally, all the way to the right, was a blond boy even noisier than the blond girl.

Ino sighed in relief as she stretched her arms up to the heavens. "I'm so glad that we finally heard some good news about Sasuke-kun! Geez, I can't believe he's making us worry like that, running off all by himself to the Mist Village!"

Naruto laughed as he slurped up a sizable portion of noodle from his pork ramen bowl. "Haha, I wasn't worried! With Kakashi-sensei chasing after him, there was no way Sasuke could make it that far! I bet Kakashi-sensei is already carrying Sasuke back home right now!"

Sakura scowled at the ramen soup which Naruto had just splashed onto her bare forearm, and she irritably wiped away the salty spicy stain. "Damn it, Naruto, stop being such a messy pig when you eat!"

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan! I didn't mean to!"

"Iruka-sensei, please trade seats with me!"

"Now, now, kids, let's not fight." With an appeasing smile, Iruka tried to soothe the burning pink-haired one. "We should be in a joyous mood, now that we know Sasuke-kun is safe and sound."

Ino chirped now, "Yeah, Sakura, don't be such a party pooper! Don't ruin the celebration for my dear Sasuke-kun!"

"YOUR Sasuke-kun, huh?" Sakura grumbled something about how pig girls, like Ino, should be sitting next to pig boys, like Naruto. But she let it go. After all, she WAS happy that Kakashi-sensei had finally sent back a report bearing good news concerning Sasuke-kun.

But now that Sasuke's safety was no longer a concern, she had other concerns to worry about. Namely, she was worried about her scheme to hook up Ino with another boy. It had been two days since she had conceived her brilliant plan, and the lack of progress was alarming. As a matter of fact, the plan had not yet even gotten off the ground, mostly because the two potential prospects, Neji Hyuuga and Shino Aburame, were proving to be difficult to manipulate.

The difficulties with Neji were not really his fault. It was that damn Tenten's fault. The girl was so crazy lovesick over her teammate, she refused to let any other girl even get close to Neji. If a girl approached Neji, Tenten would always pop up, without fail, and interrupt. She would ask Neji if he wanted to go train, or she would ask if he could help with her homework. Or she would make up some ridiculous excuse about how Neji was needed elsewhere, and then whisk him away before he could protest. Sakura had already dubbed Tenten as Neji's other "absolute defense". An absolute defense against girls, that is.

As for Shino, the difficulties were of a different kind, but hopefully more fixable... what's this? Speak of the devil! Sakura had just caught a glimpse of Bug Boy from the corner of her eye! He was walking down the street this way, approaching the ramen booth...

Sakura thought to herself, "Where the hell has that guy been?! It's about time he worked up the courage to approach Ino! Well, no matter. He's finally here to make his move on her, and that's all that counts."

Pretending to pay close attention to Naruto's blabbering, Sakura occasionally smiled and nodded her head, all the while keeping an eye on Shino as he plodded towards the quartet. His pace was slow and measured, deliberate and thoughtful. He was probably thinking of a way to introduce himself to Ino...

No, Sakura thought to herself. He had probably already come up with a pickup line, since he seemed like the type of guy who was always well-prepared. Yeah, he probably had a line, and he was now rehearsing it inside his head. Oh man, she dearly hoped that he had a good one for Ino. Because if he didn't, Ino was going to think that he was a total loser, and then there would be no way he could ever become Ino's boyfriend, and then Sakura would have to find another guy to draw Ino away from her beloved Sasuke-kun. It would be just so much hassle to do all that, sheesh.

Inner Sakura's imaginary hands were clasped in prayer as she begged to the powers that be: "Please, please, please, Shino, don't say anything cheesy or corny! And PLEASE don't make any references to your bugs, that would be just plain icky... hey! Where are you going?!"

Sakura blinked in shock as Shino kept right on walking past the ramen booth. What the heck! For a moment, she was unable to comprehend the reality that Shino was ambling down the street, away from her and, more importantly, away from Ino. He was not here to ask Ino out on a date. He was just here by coincidence!

Inner Sakura bellowed a war cry. "Damn it all to hell!" And Outer Sakura hastily jumped out of her seat from the ramen booth. "Hey guys, I'll be right back!"

"Huh?" Ino looked up from her ramen bowl. "Where are you going?"

"I just remembered, I have to go run a errand real quick! You guys will be here for a while, right?"

Iruka looked to Naruto, who was drinking the soup from his ramen bowl. "I think we'll be here for a while, Sakura-chan. That is only Naruto's first serving, after all."

The whiskered fox boy had not even noticed that Sakura was no longer sitting next to him, as he held out the emptied bowl to the amused cook. "Gimme more, hee hee!"

* * *

"Shino-san!" Sakura was sprinting after the plodding bug boy. "Hey, wait up! It's me, Sakura!" 

Shino did a stutter step at the sound of his name and her name. And then he turned to face the incoming pink-haired Genin, his hands buried deep inside the pockets of his huge turquoise-colored coat. As always. With the collar turned all the way up, practically hiding his entire face. As always. And he spoke with that quiet and infinitely calm voice. As always.

"Hello, Sakura-san."

She reciprocated his greeting with a burst of breath: "Hey!" Then she screeched to a halt, hands already on her hips. And she demanded, "What have you been doing for the past couple days?"

A strange look from the strange young man. "I have been training."

Sakura nodded, waiting for him to continue. But that was it, much to her chagrin. He had nothing else to say.

Unfortunately for him, she still had plenty of fuel left inside her tank, and she immediately fired another question at him: "What about Ino?!"

"What about her?"

Outer Sakura quietly sighed in disappointment, while Inner Sakura roared and ripped out her hair in a frustrated rage. This guy was fricking clueless! "Don't you remember what I told you a couple days ago? About Ino?"

"Yes."

"Well then... aren't you going to ask her out?!"

"No."

"Why not?!"

"I am not interested in her."

Sakura's jaw dropped to the ground at this stunning piece of information. For some insane reason, despite all her careful planning and scheming, she had not anticipated this potential pitfall.

"You're not interested in her? Why? What's wrong with her?"

He shrugged. "Nothing's wrong with her. I'm just not interested in her."

"But she's so pretty! And she's so smart!" Sakura then thought about what she had just said, and she amended, "Well, okay, Ino isn't that smart. But she's not dumb! She's fun to be around, too. And she's a strong ninja! Oh, and most importantly..."

Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. _"She thinks you're cute!"_

Now that she had spelled it out in stone for him, Sakura stood back and waited for his response. She was hoping that he would blush a little in the cheeks from her bold proclamation. Or maybe he would burn a little hot red in the ears. At the very least, she wanted to see SOME sort of reaction out of Shino Aburame.

But nope, he just stood there, looking at her. Unflappable as always. Staring at her from behind those dispassionate shades. Geez, was this guy really human?

An inspiration suddenly hit her, and she brightened up with an enlightened smile. "Aha!" She smacked a fist into an open palm. "I know what's going on now!"

"You do?" Judging from his mildly surprised voice, Shino evidently could not see with such clarity as Sakura.

"Ah yes, I understand everything so perfectly now!" Sakura now thrust a somewhat accusing finger at his chest. "Shino Aburame, let me ask you this..."

"What?"

She boomed, "You have never asked a girl out on a date before, have you?!"

At her momentous revelation, everything around the two suddenly died down to an eerie silence...

A busybody breeze had been swirling through the main street of Konoha Village, playing with Sakura's skirt and her neatly bobbed hair, tugging at Shino's coat and his wild mop up top. But now the breeze faded away, all the air taken out by her words.

The indistinct background babble of idle conversation had been going on all around them. Birds had been singing from high in the sky, from the branches of the trees, from the roofs of the buildings. But now, at least to the ears of the two Genins, all of that was gone. The passerby's talk and the birds' singsong gossip became little more than muted nothings.

The motionless bodies of Shino Aburame and Sakura Haruno, as still as statues in the middle of the street. Staring at each other with incredible intensity. Shino's normally deadpan face was now deeply creased, while Sakura's eyes sparkled in excitement. His face was still difficult to read, so she was not quite sure what was going on inside his mind. But she knew what was going on inside hers.

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" Inner Sakura was pacing back and forth inside Outer Sakura's mind, vigorously pumping her fist in victory. "Yes, I finally got him to react to something I said! And more importantly, I finally figured out what's wrong with him!"

Sakura's lofty high of elation and satisfaction was then tempered by the realization that Shino had not yet responded to her allegations. And Inner Sakura suddenly froze in mid fist pump. Was Shino mad at her? Was he sensitive about this sort of thing? Was he a total loser around women?

Still, even if he was a total loser around women, she should not have just blurted out something like that. He did not seem tremendously agitated, but Sakura now toed the ground in embarrassment as she murmured, "Shino-san, I'm sorry if I made you feel bad just now."

Shino had been tilted forward a little, staring at her. But he straightened his back now. "Do not worry. I do not feel bad."

Sakura looked up now. "Really?"

"It is true, I have never asked a girl out on a date. But the same can be said of the majority of boys in my age group."

"Oh yeah, huh? When you put it that way..." She slammed a fist into an open palm. "Well then, Shino-san! This is your chance to be special! If you go out on a date with Ino, then everyone will think that you are the coolest guy in our class!"

"I don't care what other people think of me."

"Oh come on, don't say that! What if everyone thinks you're a total loser?"

He shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me. I know that I am not a loser."

"Geez." Sakura sighed as she squinted up at the annoyingly unflappable Shino. Then she brightened up. "Well, I guess it's a good thing that you're so confident in yourself, because girls find confidence to be very attractive in boys. Especially girls like Ino!"

"That's nice."

"Listen, Shino-san, you're going to have to start dating girls sooner or later. So why not start now? Think of it as training for the future."

He had to wrinkle an eyebrow at that one. "Training?"

"Yeah, training! You will be the student, and I will be your sensei! What do you think of my idea?"

He said quite honestly, "I don't know what to think."

Sakura wasn't listening, of course, as she took a step back to look him over. And the first thing that stuck out, literally, was that crazy shock of hair. "Geez, you haven't done anything with your hair, have you? Did you try combing it back like I suggested?"

He reached up with a hand to press down onto the top of the woolly tuft, in an effort to keep the hair down. But it was all in vain, of course, as he said, "I tried to follow your advice, Sakura-san. But I failed."

"Geez, that's not good. What did you try? Hair gel? Hair spray? Mousse?"

"I did not use anything of the sort."

"What?! Why not?"

"Hmm. It never occured to me to use such things."

The pink-haired kuniochi was flabbergasted by his alarming ignorance concerning such essential matters. "Shino-san, are you saying that you have never used hair care products before?!"

"I suppose so."

"What about hair conditioner? Please tell me that at least you use hair conditioner!"

"I use Pert Plus shampoo. Does that count?"

"Pert Plus?!" Sakura almost choked at his innocent yet outrageous suggestion, and she had to pound her chest a couple times before she could continue. "You use Pert Plus?! Shino-san, hair care tip number one! Never use Pert Plus ever again! That 2-in-1 concoction is BAD for your hair! Bad, bad, bad! Dry and tangly hair, itchy scalp, split ends, oh my god, Shino-san! For how long have you been using that stuff?!"

"Hmm. Let me think." Sakura's distress was contagious, as Shino's face now furrowed in consternation. "For five years now, I believe."

"Yeegh! Five years?!" Sakura instinctively shied away, holding out her hands to fend off any possible bad-hair-day vibes that might be radiating from him. Then she composed herself, taking a deep breath as she placed her knuckles against her chin. And she started to think out loud.

"This is bad, Shino-san, this is really really bad. I'm not so sure if your hair can be saved..."

She lapsed into silence, puckering up her lips in deep thought. Shino awkwardly stood there for a few moments, not quite sure what was going on. Then he actually pulled one of his hands out of his pockets (!), and he put it over his mouth as he lightly coughed. "Sakura-san, why is my hair so important?"

"Because Ino likes boys with nice hair."

"Ah. I see." Hand back in pocket, Shino looked off into the distance now, pondering the mystery of it all. Then he asked, "Do all girls think that nice hair is important when it comes to boys?"

"Well, it's not SUPER important, but it does help if you have nice hair. Ino just happens to be very picky about her guys, that's all."

"I see." Shino pondered some more, then asked, "What about you?"

Sakura blinked. "What about me?"

"Does nice hair matter to you?"

"Oh. Well, it doesn't matter as much to me as it does to Ino. But yeah, nice hair is always a plus. Especially if a boy has nice hair like Sasuke-kun's..." Sakura's eyes turned to pink cartoony hearts as she clasped her hands to her chest, thinking of her beloved Uchiha ninja's soft, shiny, full-bodied, and manageable mop. His beautiful hair flowing in the wind, with those dark flashing eyes and his wonderfully intense brow...

She snapped out of it. "Okay, Shino-san! That does it! Are you doing anything tomorrow morning?"

If he was caught off guard by her sudden change of subject, he did not show it. "No, I do not yet have anything planned for tomorrow morning."

"Good! Then meet me at Training Area #7 tomorrow at 9 AM, because I am going to fix your hair into something stylish and sexy!"

Shino was certainly caught off guard now, his eyebrows raised in perplexion and his voice slightly raised in pitch. "Stylish and sexy?"

"That's right, Shino-san. Stylish and sexy! Trust me, once I'm through with you, Ino will be drooling over you and your sexy new hairdo!"

"Sexy new hairdo?"

"That's right! Your sexy new hairdo!" Sakura was already starting to step away, as she checked her wristwatch. "I have to go now, Shino-san, some of my friends are waiting for me at Ichiraku Ramen! Don't forget, 9 AM tomorrow morning at Training Area #7!"

As Sakura ran off, Shino simply stood there, hands buried in pockets. Then he turned, and he started to plod down the street once again.

And as a bug crawled across the bridge of his nose, he thought to himself: "What a weird girl."

* * *

Sakura burst into the ramen booth. "Hey guys, I'm back!" She then blinked when she realized that only Naruto and Ino were sitting at the counter now. "Where's Iruka-sensei?" 

Naruto tried to answer her, but he was in the middle of a ramen slurp, and he ended up choking on soup and noodle. Sakura sighed at the gagging blond boy, and she walked over to give him a whack on the back. "Ino, what happened to Iruka-sensei?"

Ino was leaning against the counter, obviously bored out of her mind. "Iruka-sensei had to leave because he got an emergency call from the Hokage about some rescue mission. He told us not to worry about him, though, he thinks he'll probably be back in a week or so."

Sakura frowned. "Geez, even Iruka-sensei has to go on missions now?"

Naruto had finally swallowed down the noodles stuck in his throat, and he piped up, "Yeah, almost all the Jounins and Chuunins are on active duty these days, there's just so many missions to carry out! They are so busy now, I heard that Tsunade-sama might even start sending out Genin teams for B-rank missions!"

"Really?" Ino tried to imagine herself carrying out a B-rank mission. B-rank missions were usually Chuunin-level tasks, which meant any enemies would probably be at least at the Chuunin level... Ino shuddered. Scary stuff. "You know, Naruto, I'm not sure if that's a good idea."

"Oh, don't worry, Tsunade-sama said that she would consider only the elite Genins." Naruto hooked his thumbs towards himself. "And I'm sure she thinks of me as an elite Genin! Oh man, this is so cool! I want to go on a B-rank mission! I hope something comes up soon - "

"Naruto," Sakura said in a somber voice. "Don't forget that this manpower shortage is happening because of all the people who died during the battle against the Sound and the Sand."

The fox boy's enthusiasm promptly waned at the stern reminder. "Oh yeah." After a moment of contemplation, he then commented, "I sure hope Sasuke is all right."

Sakura said with confidence, "Sasuke-kun will be all right. Kakashi-sensei is with him now."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, that's true. I'm really glad Kakashi-sensei got to Sasuke before Sasuke could find his brother." He couldn't help but shiver as he recalled his one encounter with the elder of the surviving Uchiha brothers. "That guy was really scary..."

The three sat in silence, considerably downed now. Then Sakura took it upon herself to brighten the mood, as she turned to face Ino. "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

The blond kuniochi shrugged. "Sure. What about?"

Sakura was smiling so brightly and innocently...

"Ino, I was just wondering. Do you like guys who have big poofy hair?"

CHAPTER ENDS

Notes: Okay, since this story is labeled as "Romance/Action", you might be wondering to yourself, "Where's the action? Where's the fight scenes? Damn it!" Well, don't worry, the action is coming. I have it all planned in my head...


	3. Ambush

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters affiliated with Naruto.  
  
Notes: This story takes place sometime after the Chuunin Exam saga. Also, for the sake of flexibility and originality, this story does not adhere strictly to the manga storyline.   
  
CHAPTER BEGINS...  
  
Training Area #7. This particular training grounds had a simple layout, nothing more than a tiny field surrounded by a dense layer of forest. It was designed to be an area where a team could simulate ambushes, learning how to both carry out and react to such situations. Normally, the ambushers would hide in the trees, while the ambushees would stand out in the middle of the field. Then the ambushers would attack from all directions, while the ambushees would react to the incoming attacks as best they could.  
  
Shino Aburame was standing out in the middle of the field, his hands inside the coat pockets, backpack hanging from his shoulders. And right now, he couldn't help but feel like he was playing the role of an ambushee, because he had no idea what to expect from Sakura Haruno when she arrived.  
  
Well, he had some sort of idea, he supposed. She was going to try to turn his hair into something super cool and fashionable, like the hair of those GQ models on the magazine covers. He didn't think she would be successful, though. Because once, when he had been very young, he could remember his mother trying something similar just before a family portrait photo shoot...  
  
He had been five years old then, and the Aburame family was almost ready to head off to the portrait photographer. They were all dressed neat and nice, but they could not leave just yet, mostly because his mother was fussing over her only child's impudent hair. She had tried to split the hair down the middle, neatly combing back the halves on their respective sides. She had tried to part it off to the side. She had tried to comb everything back as one piece. Basically, she had tried to change the hair into anything besides that wild shock.  
  
But alas, the hair refused to cooperate with her patient hands. So, after considerable effort, she finally gave up, stood up, and affectionately ran her hands through the tufts of hair, letting his hair do as it pleased. And with a smile so warm, a smile of adoration that could be bestowed only by a loving mother upon her beloved child, she had called his hair "pig's hair". A term often asociated with hair just like his: somewhat curly, very thick and stiff, pretty much unmanageable.  
  
But to her, his hair was perfect just the way it was -  
  
"Good morning, Shino-san!"  
  
Shino shook his head free from the cobwebs of memories, and he looked up from his feet to see Sakura waving from the nearest side of the field. In return, he extracted a hand from a pocket, and he raised it in greeting. "Good morning, Sakura-san."  
  
As she walked towards him, she looked down at her wristwatch. The digital display read 8:58 AM... no, the digital display just flashed to 8:59. One minute before the appointed time of 9 o'clock. Although she couldn't be too sure, it seemed like Shino had been standing there for quite a while. So she asked, "I hope you didn't wait too long, did you?"  
  
A shake of the head. "No more than ten minutes."  
  
She bounced to a halt in front of him, hooking her thumbs inside her backpack's straps. "Wow, you came pretty early!"  
  
"A ninja must always value time and punctuality."  
  
Sakura nodded in agreement with his recitation of a tenet from their academy textbook. "That's true. If a ninja doesn't show up on time, it just causes problems for others." She then grumbled, "I sometimes wish Kakashi-sensei would follow that rule more closely."  
  
Shino seemed mildly surprised by her complaint. "Does Kakashi-san arrive late to your team's lessons sometimes?"  
  
"Not sometimes, Shino-san. ALL the time!"  
  
"Really? I thought he was a genius."  
  
"What do you mean by that?"  
  
He briefly thought about it. "I suppose I had always assumed that a genius would try to set a better example for his students."  
  
"To be honest, I think he can get away with that stuff because he IS a genius. But anyways. We're not here to talk about Kakashi-sensei."  
  
Sakura waved a dismissive hand as she surveyed the field around them, a broad expanse of hard-packed dirt dotted with patches of grass. Then she finally spied what she was looking for: Training Area #7's combo of water faucet and water fountain, along with a nearby tree stump.  
  
"Come on, Shino-san. Follow me!"  
  
She started to walk towards the water facilities, and Shino fell into stride beside her. Her thumbs still hooked inside her backpack's straps, she couldn't help but notice that he was also wearing a backpack. She also noticed that familiar lunch pail of his, dangling from his backpack.  
  
Recalling their first encounter a few days ago, she studied the lunch pail for a moment, half-expecting some bugs to pop out from the pail. Then she asked, "Shino-san, were you searching for bugs earlier this morning?"  
  
"No, I was not." He looked down at her now. "What made you think that?"  
  
"You have that lunch pail with you again. You know, the one you kept your bugs in."  
  
"Mmm. I see." He nodded in understanding. "This time, I do not have bugs inside my lunch pail."  
  
"Oh really? Then what's inside?"  
  
"My lunch."  
  
Sakura felt like a dolt of Naruto-like proportions. "Oh yeah. Duh." Then she livened up, for they were standing in front of the tree stump now. "Okay, Shino-san, it's time for the show to begin!"  
  
She took off her backpack and set it down by the wide tree stump. Then she began to pull out items from her bag. Shino had been expecting shampoo and conditioner, of course, although he had not expected her to pull out several different brands like she had done just now. She was also pulling out other things, too. Hair gel. Hair spray. Mousse. Facial cream. Hand lotion. Tweezers? Perfumed soap. Body wash. Cologne samples. Shaving cream. Shaving gel. Aftershave. So on, and so forth.  
  
His eyebrows were wrinkled in unmistakable amazement, as he couldn't help but wonder how she had fit all that stuff into her bag. And he asked, "What is all this?"  
  
"Ino likes boys who are well-groomed. So, I am going to use all this to make you super-sleek and super-tidy!"  
  
"Hmm." The bug boy's brow furrowed in concern. "Do I look shabby to you?"  
  
"Oh no, don't get me wrong, you don't look shabby or anything. But I thought you could use some sprucing up!"  
  
Shino's eyes passed over the tweezers, while his hands reached down to pick up the Maybelline facial cream and perfumed soap. "I thought you were going to just comb my hair. I didn't know you were planning on doing all this girly stuff to me."  
  
"I didn't plan on it, either. But when I woke up this morning, I decided to bring all this other stuff, because I thought it would be helpful."  
  
"How is facial cream helpful?"  
  
"Shino-san, this stuff isn't just for girls." She took the facial cream from his hands. "It's gross if you have dry skin!"  
  
"I don't have dry skin."  
  
"Yeah, well, if you're going to ask out Ino, you shouldn't take any chances." She stared at the perfumed soap in his hands, then took it from his hands also. "Although the perfumed soap may be a little overboard, I guess. The body wash should be good enough, especially if you combine its scent with this cologne here. Believe me, Shino-san, this combination is guaranteed to make her go crazy for you!"  
  
"You put a lot of thought into this."  
  
"Of course! If you don't hook up with Ino, it will be so sad! I mean, she's dropped all these hints to me that she really really likes you! It would be such a shame if you two didn't get together! Don't you think?"  
  
"Perhaps."  
  
She started to sniffle, as her eyes became watery with emotion. "Believe me, Shino-san, there is nothing more tragic than the unrequited love of a girl. You don't know how painful it is for a girl to lie in bed night after night, while she dreams of her one and only true love, hoping that he will someday sweep her off her feet - "  
  
"Are you sure she thinks about me in that manner?"  
  
"Of course she does!" Sakura was openly crying now, her face blotched red, as she clasped her hands together. "Shino-san! Ino's future happiness depends on you, and you alone! You must ask out her on a date! You must! "  
  
Shino's face did not even twitch, as usual. "Hmm. If you say so."  
  
"Great!" Her crying jag promptly vanished. "I'm so glad for you and Ino!" She beamed in delight as she abruptly sat Shino down on the tree stump. Then she took out a spray bottle from her bag, and she hustled over to the nearby water faucet to fill up the bottle. Then she was back to the stump, settling behind him.  
  
"Now, first things first. Your hair!" She took a deep breath, sizing up the herculean task before her. Oh boy, his hair really was a challenge. Thick and curly, obviously stiff. Would she really be able to work wonders with this bush in front of her?! Yes! She had to! For the sake of her future happiness with Sasuke!  
  
Then she couldn't help but ask, "Um, Shino-san? You don't have any bugs in your hair, do you?"  
  
He answered to the empty field in front of him: "Of course not. That would be gross."  
  
"That's true... but what about the bugs inside your body and clothing?"  
  
"What about them?"  
  
"Isn't that kind of gross, too?"  
  
"That's different."  
  
"Oh, I see. Of course..."  
  
Sakura gave Shino a strange look from behind his back, but she quickly pushed aside his odd statement. Weird boy or not, bugs in hair or bugs on body, she was not going to be deterred from styling his hair!  
  
She then lifted her hands, dramatically brandishing a comb and brush. And Inner Sakura clenched a fist, shouting, "For love, damn it! I will prevail!"  
  
As Sakura prepared herself for the upcoming task, slapping some hair gel onto her hands, she asked, "So, Shino-san, when you ask out Ino, how are you going to do it?"  
  
"Perhaps I should ask her if she wishes to train with me."  
  
"Hmm, not a bad idea. Before you ask a girl out, you should definitely get to know her first."  
  
"My thoughts exactly."  
  
"Okay, let's assume that she agrees to train with you, and that you two start training together. When you are with her, what will you talk about?"  
  
"I will talk about various ninja techniques, of course."  
  
Sakura nodded as she started to apply the gel to his hair. "Mmm, that's a good start. What else?"  
  
"She can show me some of her techniques, and I will make suggestions in an attempt to help her improve them."  
  
Hands still busy applying gel to his hair (he had a lot of hair), Sakura nodded again. "Okay. What else?"  
  
"I can show her some of my techniques. Then she can make her own suggestions."  
  
"Okaaay." Sakura's face darkened in concern. "What else?"  
  
"Perhaps we could then learn some new techniques together - "  
  
"Stop! Stop right there!" Sakura's hands ceased to apply gel. "Shino-san, it's good to talk about ninja techniques, but you have to talk about something else, too. Otherwise, Ino will think you're boring."  
  
"Hmm. What else can I talk about?"  
  
"How about hobbies? Tell me, what are your hobbies?"  
  
"I practice ninja techniques, my favorite type being ninjutsu-style techniques. I also like to read about kikai bugs, other types of insect life, and wildlife in general."  
  
Uh oh, Sakura thought to herself. This could be bad. "Um, okay. What do you do for fun, then?"  
  
"I don't think you understand. That is what I do for fun."  
  
"Seriously?!"  
  
"Don't you have fun when you train or learn new ninja techniques?"  
  
"Well, yes, but there must be SOMETHING else you do for fun."  
  
"Nothing else comes to mind."  
  
"Geez, you really are a serious guy, aren't you?"  
  
"I am the heir to the Aburame clan, and one day, I will be the clan's leader. It is quite a responsibility."  
  
"Wow, really?" That sounded pretty cool to Sakura. But it also sounded like a pain in the ass. "Those sort of expectations must be something of a burden to you, huh?"  
  
"No, because I actually want to become the head of the clan."  
  
Sakura smiled at that. "Just like how Naruto wants to become Hokage?"  
  
"In a way. I want to become as strong as possible, and so does Naruto. For Naruto, if he becomes Hokage, it will mean that he has reached his goal of achieving incredible strength."  
  
"How about you? Do you want to become Hokage?"  
  
Sakura had meant it as a half joke, but Shino said in all seriousness, "If I become strong enough, I would willingly embrace the responsibility of being a Hokage."  
  
"I see..."  
  
Once upon a time, Sakura would have been quite the skeptic if someone told her that he wanted to become Hokage. But Naruto, with his countless displays of perseverance and willpower, had turned into her a believer. And Shino didn't seem like the type of guy who would proclaim such idle dreams, either...  
  
She realized that she was becoming distracted from the true task at hand: Shino's hair. And she snapped out of it, as she slapped her hands back into his mop. "Okay, Shino-san, it's great that you want to become strong and all, but..."  
  
"But what?"  
  
"Ino is going to be pretty bored by that sort of talk." Sakura picked up a brush and hairdryer now. "So tell me, what else do you do for fun?"  
  
"I already told you. I train, and I read."  
  
Sakura had the hairdryer on, and she was brushing carefully yet furiously now. "Oh come on, there must be SOMETHING else you do for fun! Think!"  
  
"Hmm. I do enjoy exploring the wilderness in search for Kikai bugs." He thought a little more, then added, "I also have a large collection of sunglasses."  
  
Ok, that's a little better, she thought to herself. "Maybe you should ask Ino if she would like to go on a hike with you. Yeah, that could work. You could both bring food, and then you could have an outdoor picnic together! Oooo, and then maybe, if it rains, you two will have to sit under an umbrella together! Wow, that would be so sweet and romantic, don't you think?! And then, maybe - "  
  
Sakura coughed and stopped herself. "Sorry. I didn't know it would be this much fun to play the role of matchmaker."  
  
"Not a problem." Shino paused. "How is my hair coming along?"  
  
"Grrr, not too well." She turned off the hairdryer. "Your hair really is difficult to manage, Shino-san. And I'm afraid it's not because of the Pert Plus, either. Your hair is just really darned thick and stiff." She grinned and piped up, "Kinda like pig hair, hee hee!"  
  
His body sharply stiffened at her playful barb, and she blinked, wondering if she had finally offended the unflappable one. Her hands stopped brushing the hair, as she asked, "Shino-san? Are you okay?"  
  
His voice was as low as ever, but it had a subtle lilt to it now. "I am fine."  
  
She could sense the lilt in the voice, and she hastily said, "I'm sorry about the pig hair thing! If I hurt your feelings, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."  
  
"Do not worry. You did not hurt my feelings."  
  
This was normally where Shino would usually end his sentence. But he paused, then added, "It's just that my mother also called my hair 'pig hair', too."  
  
Sakura had relaxed at his assurance that he was not offended, and she now chimed, "Oh really? That's pretty funny, hee hee! I guess your mother has tried to fix your hair too, huh?"  
  
"She tried many times."  
  
She giggled, "I see! Has she tried anytime recently? Or has she given up by now?"  
  
"Sakura-san, my mother died seven years ago."  
  
His voice was as quiet as ever, but the brief words still hit Sakura in the stomach like a ton of bricks, knocking all the air out of her. Her hands fell away from his hair, and she immediately said, "I'm sorry."  
  
"Sakura-san, there is nothing to be sorry about. You did not know."  
  
"But still..."  
  
She felt so silly and trivial now. Really, what was she doing, anyway? Standing behind him with gooey hands and dozens of hygiene products. Harboring her silly romantic dreams about Sasuke-kun. Trying to involve Shino, who probably had a million better things to do than sit on a stupid tree stump.  
  
Face, ears, and neck burning in embarrassment, bordering on humiliation, Saukra suddenly grabbed a roll of paper towel and ripped off a piece. Then she started to quickly wipe away the gel on her hands. "Shino-san, I'm sorry, you really didn't have to come out today just for this. I don't know what I was thinking, this was a silly idea anyway - "  
  
He turned to face her, the cloth of his heavy coat rasping against itself. "We're done?"  
  
"Yes, we're done, I don't think - "  
  
"If you are worried about my mother, don't be. I have accepted it and moved on." He paused. "But yes, you should probably stop trying to fix my hair. My hair will always be like this."  
  
She let out a sad little chuckle. "I guess. I had to give it a try, though."  
  
He stood up "Do not worry. It was fun."  
  
His voice was the same deadpan as always, so Sakura couldn't really tell if he had fun or not. But after a moment, she accepted his words for what they were worth, and she smiled.  
  
"I'm glad you liked it, Shino-san." She started to put all the stuff back into her bag, then stopped. "And one more thing."  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
The sparkle had returned to her eyes. "Remember, Pert Plus is bad for you. I definitely recommend that you start using another shampoo as soon as possible."  
  
"Mmm. What would you recommend?"  
  
She promptly replied, "Pantene. You can't go wrong with it. And don't forget to buy the conditioner too!"   
  
He nodded, filing away the brand name for future reference. "I see. Pantene."  
  
She waved a finger at him. "Shino-san, don't worry too much. Your hair may be wild and unmanageable, but it doesn't look ugly or anything."  
  
"I don't worry about my hair."  
  
She chuckled at that. "Of course you don't." She should have figured that he would say something like that. "Well, anyways, I'm done here." All of her stuff was back inside her backpack now. "I guess I'll stop bothering you about Ino - "  
  
"I don't mind if you help me out with Ino."  
  
Sakura froze at his totally unexpected words. Then her flabbergasted lips flapped up and down, as she almost shouted, "You don't?!"  
  
"No, I do not mind."  
  
"I'm not annoying you?!"  
  
"You have been very helpful. I now have a better idea of what girls look for in boys - "  
  
"Oi! Shino!" An incredibly loud and obnoxious voice had just cut through the bug ninja's words. "What's this about girls and boys?!"  
  
At the rude interruption, Sakura and Shino spun around just in time to see Shino's teammates, Kiba Inuzuka and Hinata Hyuga, enter the tiny clearing in the middle of Training Area #7. The rude voice belonged to Kiba, of course, and he wasn't done yet.  
  
"My my, I didn't know Shino had a girlfriend!"  
  
Shino seemed somewhat irritated by Kiba's comments, and with a darkly creased forehead, he sternly said in a voice that actually reflected his irritation: "Kiba! Be quiet. Sakura-san is a friend."  
  
Sakura was surprised by Shino's obvious irritation; apparently, if there was one person who could get under Shino's skin, it was Kiba. In hindsight, however, she thought that maybe she shouldn't have been surprised. After all, Kiba was the most noisy and rowdy student in her Academy class, narrowly beating out Naruto for the dubious honor. Sakura didn't like him that much, and if it weren't for the fact that his little doggy was so cute, she wouldn't have liked anything about him at all.  
  
Speaking of the little doggy. Akamaru was perched on Kiba's head as usual, smiling happily at the sight of his buddy Shino. And he barked in greeting, "Arf! Arf!"  
  
Kiba grinned as he rubbed Akamaru's head, and he called out, "Calm down, Shino, I was just kidding around! But honestly, you two looked pretty suspicious for a second there!"  
  
Sakura rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Geez, you make it sound like Shino has never talked to a girl before."  
  
"Well... Sakura-san..." Fidgeting with her fingers, the chronically shy Hinata was trying to simultaneously speak and hide behind Kiba. "Don't be angry... Kiba just meant... we didn't know that you were friends with Shino..."  
  
"Oh, Hinata-san!" Sakura had honestly forgotten all about Hinata; the Hyuga girl had an uncanny talent for being unnoticeable and inconspicuous. "I'm not angry with Kiba. I just wanted to make sure there was no misunderstanding." She then blinked. "What are you guys doing here anyway?"  
  
Kiba placed a hand on his chin, and he stared thoughtfully up at the sky. "Well, let's see! We're at a training area... and we all met here at the same time... gee, could it be that we're here to train?! Yes, yes, I do believe that is a strong possibility!"  
  
Akamaru agreed with his master: "Arf!"  
  
The dog boy's sarcastic comment only served to reaffirm Sakura's dislike for him, but Shino seemed to have returned to his normal imperturbable state of mind. And Shino informed Sakura, "Sakura-san, I asked my teammates to meet me here at 9:15 AM, so that we could train."  
  
She exclaimed, "You did?! But that's only fifteen minutes after our hair appointment!"  
  
"I did not think that the hair appointment would last beyond fifteen minutes. And as you can see, my estimate was correct."  
  
"What? Hair appointment?" Kiba was more confused than rowdy now, as he looked back and forth. "What are you guys talking about?"  
  
Shino said, "Nothing."  
  
Sakura said, "Shino likes Ino."  
  
"Oh, okay." Kiba shrugged. "Never mind then - WHAAAT?! Shino likes Ino?!"  
  
Sakura was now sorry that she had mentioned it, since Kiba's shout had nearly ruptured Sakura's eardrums. But what was done, was done. She said as she rubbed her ears, "You heard me. Shino wants to ask out Ino, and I'm helping him!"  
  
Hinata was too overwhelmed to say anything, her face beet red as she held her hands over her mouth. But of course, Kiba had something to say: "Wooooooooo! Hot damn, I can't believe this! I didn't know, wow wow wow!" He started to dance and sing, "Shino and Ino sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S..."  
  
Akamaru started to howl in sync with Kiba's song, and Shino's voice was barely audible above the racket, as he said as loudly as he could without actually shouting: "Let's begin training."  
  
Kiba refused to let his teammate off so easily, as he continued to howl a noisy love song. Hinata, on the other hand, was much more benevolent, and she nodded at Shino's request. "What do you want to do, Shino?"  
  
"Since we are here at Training Area #7, we might as well practice ambush tactics."  
  
Hinata sighed. "I guess I will be the ambusher."  
  
"Mmm." Shino nodded. "How many kunai daggers do you have on you?"  
  
"Eight, I think."  
  
"Awooooooo!" That was Akamaru, of course.  
  
Shino said above the puppy's howl: "I will give you more kunai, Hinata. That way, I will have more opportunities to practice my evasion skills."  
  
He then unzipped the front of his coat and opened it wide, revealing a staggeringly large array of kunai daggers lining the interior. And Sakura had to blink in astonishment at the several rows of kunai. There were at least thirty of them in there, probably more like forty!  
  
She couldn't help but ask, "Wow, Shino-san! Why do you carry so many daggers?"  
  
Kiba finally stopped singing, and he snorted. "That's what we would like to know. Ever since he fought that Sand puppet guy, he started carrying all those daggers with him. But he refuses to tell us why he does that."  
  
Shino was busy transferring kunai from his coat to Hinata's hands, but he took the time to simply say, "A ninja never reveals his secrets unless it is absolutely necessary."  
  
Hinata nodded, tentatively venturing out loud, "That's right, Kiba. After all, you also have a couple new moves which you haven't shown us yet..."  
  
Kiba blinked at that. "Well, uh, that's different!" He nodded. "Yeah, that's totally different! My new moves are cool and powerful and radical, and they could totally sway the outcome of a battle! Therefore, I have to keep them a secret! But all Shino's doing is carrying around a bunch of daggers! How lame!"  
  
Shino was ignoring Kiba now, as he and Hinata had managed to cram maybe eight more daggers into her pouch before it became completely full. "Hinata, let's get started."  
  
"Okay! Give me the signal when you are ready."  
  
Hinata then leapt up into the tree branches above them, disappearing into the leaves with nary a sound. Shino, meanwhile, was walking out towards the middle of the clearing, coat zipped back up, hands no longer in his pockets. He then called out, "Kiba, do you want to join the drill?"  
  
"Nah, I'll sit this one out! Besides, I want to talk to Sakura-san and get the scoop on you and Ino, lover boy!"  
  
Shino shook his head, not bothering to reply as he held out his arms, preparing himself for the ambush drill. This was only the second time that Sakura had seen the mysterious Shino in action; therefore, with great interest, she closely watched as he gave a gentle shake with his sleeves...  
  
The bugs started to come out of his sleeves. And they were coming out in droves, an endless pour of six-legged creatures as they swarmed all over his wrists and forearms, merging to form lumpy black masses on each arm, each mass writhing as one whole undulating entity. To Sakura, the only thing more creepy than the sight of those writhing bugs was the sounds which the bugs made. An incessant metallic buzzing drone, conspicuously loud inside the otherwise silent clearing.  
  
She understood why the bugs were coming out in full force like this. They couldn't do anything for their master while they were hiding inside his clothing and body. So they were moving themselves out onto his arms, where Shino could mobilize and direct the bugs with maximum ease. She also noticed that a thin line of bugs was streaming down his leg from under his knee-length shorts; they were climbing down to the ground and heading into the forest. Scouts, she realized. They were heading out to search for the hidden Hinata.  
  
Shino then called out, "Hinata, whenever you're ready."  
  
He then quickly formed a seal with his hands, muttering an incantation under his breath. Sakura barely had time to see the seal formed by his fingers, but it seemed to be a variant of the one used for the Bunshin (Clone) technique... Shino's body exploded into smoke. The light breeze quickly blew away the smoke, though, to now reveal three clones of Shino. Standing in a triangle, facing in all directions, calmly waiting for Hinata to make her move.  
  
Sakura had to blink at Shino's tactic, and she whispered to Kiba, "Why is Shino using the Bunshin technique against Hinata? With her Byakugan, Hinata can tell which Shino is the real one!"  
  
"That's not the regular Bunshin," Kiba whispered back (his whisper was still pretty loud, though). "Shino is using his Kikai Bunshin (Bug Clone) technique: a combination of bugs and Genjutsu to form clones of himself."  
  
"I see. So his Bug Clones can fool her Byakugan?"  
  
"Almost, but not quite. For a while now, Shino has been trying to beat the Byakugan by getting his bugs to simulate the Chakra flow inside his real body."  
  
"Wow, that's pretty smart! If the clones emit the same amount of Chakra as the real Shino, Byakugan users will not be able to tell which one is which."  
  
Kiba shook his head. "It's not quite that simple. Byakugan users see more than just the Chakra aura; they can see the Chakra vessels, too. So Shino has to simulate the Chakra vessels as well, not just the aura. And so far, he hasn't been able to do it."  
  
Sakura looked to Kiba now. "Oh, that's too bad. But still, the Bug Clone should be useful against anyone who can't see Chakra vessels, right?"  
  
"Yeah, that's true. But Shino is a pretty thorough guy. He likes to prepare himself for any possible situation."  
  
"I see..." Sakura turned back to watch the waiting Shino clones. Gee, Shino really meant it when he said that he enjoyed training and practicing his techniques. He was trying to perfect his Bug Clone. He had come up with some new secret technique involving forty-plus kunai daggers. And Kiba must have been training hard, if he had come up with his own new techniques. She knew Hinata had been training hard, too, because Naruto had recently blabbed about the considerable improvement of Hinata's taijutsu since the Chuunin Exam.  
  
Then Sakura had to ask herself the painful question: what had she done lately? It was a question which she tried not to ask herself too often, because the answer was always a despressing one. But she had to ask it. So, what had she done lately?  
  
An aching pang of emptiness seared through her heart, for the answer to the question was the same, as always: not much. Sure, she had been training rather hard, studying up on new techniques, building up her chakra stamina, etc etc. But she still felt so inadequate as a ninja. Especially whenever she thought about just how incredibly powerful her teammates had become. Yes, she had been reading about new techniques; but she had not yet been able to master them. Her chakra stamina was improving; but it was still woefully insignificant compared to chakra monsters like Sasuke-kun and Naruto.  
  
She thought bitterly to herself, if the three did a mission together, she would be useless. Completely useless. Just like in the past, the present, and for the forseeable future. Sasuke-kun and Naruto would end up protecting her like always, and afterwards, she would be the one tending to their wounds. Like always. Damn it all to hell. Some freaking ninja she was. Nothing more than a glorified nurse.  
  
She had already resigned herself to the inevitability that she would soon be separated from them. Those two were obviously going to be Chuunins soon. Much sooner than she, at least. Maybe they would be separated even sooner than that, if Tsunade-sama decided to send out teams of elite Genins to perform missions -  
  
It had been a while since Kiba had said anything annoying, but he quickly remedied that by interrupting her thoughts with a question: "So, have Shino and Ino kissed yet?"  
  
"Geez." Sakura gave him a dirty look. "No, they have not."  
  
"Okay... so what does Shino like about her? It's the body, huh? Yeah, she's a hot one, all right - "  
  
All three Shino clones called out from the clearing, "Shut up, Kiba."  
  
Kiba cackled, "Am I wrong? Tell me I'm wrong, and I'll shut up - whoa!"  
  
A salvo of five kunai daggers suddenly erupted from a tree across the clearing, hurtling towards one of the Shino's. The daggers were upon him in an instant, but Shino was faster, nimbly evading them with a dart and roll. Wow, Sakura thought to herself, as she watched the daggers plow into the space recently vacated by the ninja. He's fast...  
  
Shino was apparently frustrated, though, as he stood up straight with a tight face. And Sakura realized why he was so disappointed, as she stared at the half-buried daggers. All of the daggers had been aimed at only one Shino, while totally ignoring the other two. This meant that Hinata had come to the conclusion that the other two were the fake ones; and Shino's reaction confirmed that her conclusion was correct.  
  
Shino said loudly, "Hinata. You could tell, couldn't you?"  
  
The wavering voice of the dark shy girl issued out from one of the trees: "Yes, I could tell. I'm sorry, Shino!"  
  
"No need to be sorry." Shino's clones were already crumbling away into two masses of chittering bugs, as Shino called out, "Let me try this a couple more times."  
  
"Okay..."  
  
Hinata's faint voice ebbed away, as she moved herself to a new hiding spot. Meanwhile, Shino's bugs were climbing back up their master's legs and onto his body, augmenting the already sizable masses of buglife on his arms. Then after a few moments, Shino performed the Kikai Bunshin seal again, and poof! The three Shinos had returned...  
  
Sakura observed, "When you guys do ambush drills, Hinata is usually the designated ambusher, huh?"  
  
"Yeah. It's useless for Shino and I to try and ambush her, because she can see us wherever we are. Although, sometimes Kurenai-sensei will make her do the drill without using Byakugan."  
  
"I see... where is Kurenai-sensei, anyway?"  
  
"She's on a mission. Just like pretty much every other Jounin in the village." Kiba hesitated now. "Hey, what's the news on Sasuke? I heard that Kakashi-sensei finally found him."  
  
Sakura slowly nodded. "They will be back in a week or so. That's what Kakashi-sensei said in his report, anyway."  
  
"A week, huh? That's not too bad." Kiba grunted. "Kurenai-sensei isn't going to be back for at least two more weeks."  
  
"Yikes. Is her mission a tough one?"  
  
"Nah, it's just a long one. It's not tough. Not for a Jounin, at least - "  
  
Kiba suddenly stopped talking, as he looked off to his right. And before Sakura could utter a single sound of confusion, he held out a hand, gesturing for her to be quiet. His nose twitched as he sniffed the air, and his predatory eyes glanced from side to side...  
  
Sakura now realized that Akamaru was softly growling under his breath, and she followed suit, whispering under her breath: "What's wrong?"  
  
Kiba hissed through clenched teeth: "Someone's coming."  
  
Kiba's voice had degenerated into a primitive growl, and Sakura's entire body tensed as her hands reached into the kunai dagger pouch at her thigh. "Who's coming?"  
  
"I don't know. But Akamaru says that they're dangerous." His whisper then elevated to an alarmed shout: "Shino! Hinata! Get back here and hide!"  
  
All three Shino clones looked to the dog boy. "Why?"  
  
"Just get back here, damn it!" Kiba now anxiously scanned the trees for any sign of his third teammate. "Hinata! Hey, Hinata!"  
  
Sakura joined in now, cupping her hands over her mouth: "Hinata! Hinataaa!"  
  
Shino was next to them now, somewhat confused as he crouched in the bushes with them. "Why are you calling for Hinata?"  
  
Sakura ignored Shino for now, as she called out one last time: "Hinataaaaa!" Then she lowered her voice to a worried whisper. "She's not answering!"  
  
Kiba growled, "I know that! Fuck, where is she?!" Akamaru then uttered a mix of barks and whines, and Kiba responded with a succint "Shit!"  
  
Sakura nervously asked, "What did Akamaru just say?"  
  
"He said that he can smell blood in the air."  
  
"Oh my god. You mean - "  
  
"Yeah." Kiba popped a soldier pill into his mouth. "I can smell the blood, too. And I think it's Hinata's blood."  
  
CHAPTER ENDS  
  
Notes: Oh my god, what happened to poor Hinata? Don't you love cliffhangers? I know I do. Or at least, I like to write them, hehehe. Next chapter, there will finally be some fighting... btw, about Shino's mother. In the manga/anime, I don't know if his mother is actually dead or not. But in the manga, all we see is his father. So it's possible that she might be dead. Who knows.  
  
RESPONSES TO CHAPTER 2 REVIEWS:  
  
Rin: If this is not a SakuShino fic, yes, I might write one in the future. But maybe this fic IS the SakuShino fic?! I can't say anything. I don't want to spoil anything!  
  
Lanna Suki: I can't say anything. I don't want to spoil anything!  
  
ccslover, Netescaper, Nipponsei: See my response to Lanna Suki!  
  
Tasha3: Well, one char is OOC so far (Tenten obviously). But I try to keep the other chars IC, more or less. And Shino needs a GF? Maybe he'll get one, maybe he won't. You never know!  
  
Xoni Newcomer: Don't worry, action will be coming around, obviously! As for Shino acting dense... well... as for SakShino or InoShino? well... see my response to Lanna Suki!  
  
Shino Bee: As you can see, Shino didn't get his sexy new hairdo :-( But he's still cool anyway! :-) 


	4. Reality

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters affiliated with Naruto.  
  
Notes: This story takes place sometime after the Chuunin Exam saga. Also, for the sake of flexibility and originality, this story does not adhere strictly to the manga storyline.   
  
CHAPTER BEGINS...  
  
"Hinata! Hinataaa!"  
  
Sakura stopped shouting, fearful that the approaching enemy would be able to figure out where they were hiding, lest she shout any more. Shino had already found them, and he was somewhat confused as he crouched down in the bushes next to them.  
  
He whispered, "Why are you calling for Hinata?"  
  
Sakura ignored Shino for now, as she realized Hinata was not answering. She had to try one last time: "Hinataaaaa!"  
  
She waited breathlessly for almost half a minute, but there was still no answer. She then lowered her voice to a worried whisper. "She's not answering!"  
  
Kiba growled, "I know that! Fuck, where is she?!" Akamaru then uttered a mix of barks and whines, and Kiba responded with a succint "Shit!"  
  
Sakura nervously asked, "What did Akamaru just say?"  
  
"He said that he can smell blood in the air."  
  
"Oh my god. You mean - "  
  
"Yeah." Kiba popped a soldier pill into his mouth. "I can smell the blood, too. And I think it's Hinata's blood."  
  
"Can you smell the enemy?! How many are there?!"  
  
"I don't know, but Akamaru says that the enemy is strong. Shino, can you hear anything?"  
  
Sakura turned to see that Shino had his ear pressed to the ground. His eyes were closed shut behind the sunglasses, as he focused on whatever the heck he was listening to... ear still on the ground, he said, "At least three. Maybe four or five. They are approaching too fast for me to hear clearly - they've stopped. No, they're still moving. But they are moving away from us now."  
  
"Huh?" Sakura was confused by Shino's contradictory words. "They were moving towards us, but now they're moving away?"  
  
Kiba snarled, "Damn it, I bet they were after Hinata! Kidnapped!"  
  
"Kidnapped?"  
  
Kiba had no time to explain himself to the disconcerted Sakura, as he stood up with Shino. "We're going after them. Split up into pairs from here. You guys sweep left, we'll sweep right."  
  
"Split up into pairs?" Sakura was fairly spinning from the dizzying turn of events, feeling a bit like a retard standing in the middle of a mensa meeting. "But there's only three of us - "  
  
Kiba shouted, "Come on, Akamaru!" And the little pooch howled a battle cry, jumping down from Kiba's head to stand by his master. And before Sakura knew it, the two had blasted out of the bushes and into the trees above, disappearing in the blink of an eye...  
  
Shino said in as urgent a voice as she had ever heard from him: "Come, Sakura-san. Follow me."  
  
She put aside the questions for now, and she nodded in determination. "Right behind you!"  
  
He nodded, then he too burst out of the bushes, promptly followed by a pink-haired flash. And in a matter of moments, they were flying through the lofty branches, eyes and ears scanning all around for any signs of mischief. Rapidly springing from tree to tree without hesitation, effortlessly negotiating their way through the haphazard network of leaves and woods, covering greater and greater distance with each passing second, moving in a way that only ninjas could.  
  
As they silently moved through the forest, Sakura occasionally glanced at Shino, waiting for an opportunity to address him about what the hell was going on. He did not seem to be in the mood to talk, however. His face was clouded with an eerie fierce intensity, and his intense expression was so uncomfortable to look at, she was discouraged from asking. He did not seem to be anxious, however. He was just being serious. Almost like his normal serious self, except the intensity was magnified tenfold.  
  
His steely nerve was a comforting sight indeed, smoothing down most of the doubts and fears swelling up inside her. Sakura really did want to help Hinata, but still, this was such the impromptu rescue mission. They barely had any idea where they were going. They had absolutely no idea who the enemies were. Just two minutes ago, they had been messing around. And now, Hinata's life was in danger. Possibly.  
  
Afraid that her question would be frivolous and distracting, but too curious to hold it back, she finally asked, "Shino-san, who would want to kidnap Hinata?"  
  
Shino promptly answered, allaying any fears that her question might be annoying to him: "Many wish to learn the secrets of the Byakugan, because it is probably the most unique and powerful bloodline ability of our village. Because of this, when Kiba and I became her teammates, the village leaders told us to keep an eye on her, in case someone made an attempt to extract the Byakugan secrets from her."  
  
"Oh my god, poor Hinata... is this the first time anything has happened to her?"  
  
"No, it is not. Someone once attempted to abduct her when she was five years old."  
  
Sakura sincerely felt sick to her stomach. "They would do that to a little child?!"  
  
"This is reality, Sakura-san. This is how a ninja lives."  
  
Shino suddenly held up a hand, and he pulled up to a halt on the branch of a mighty oak tree. Sakura followed suit, as he unnecessarily made a hand gesture for her to stay silent. He then pressed an ear to the tree trunk, once again doing that strange listening thing of his -  
  
A faint shrill scream sounded from the distance. Sakura didn't need any special listening abilities to hear that one, and she yanked out a kunai from her thigh holster. Shino kept his ear on the trunk for a moment longer, however, before he pulled away.  
  
"One person is coming this way." The bugs were now flowing out from his sleeves. "Be ready."  
  
She nodded, taking a deep breath as she surveyed her surroundings. She could see at least five possible escape routes that she could take, in case the enemy was recognizable as someone obscenely powerful (she feverishly hoped it wasn't that nightmare named Orochimaru). This position was a good one to mount an attack from (apparently Shino had picked this spot with that in mind), but she could see three other potential attack sites nearby, just in case they got split up -  
  
She had no more time to think, as she sensed the enemies' presence. However, after a moment, she presumed that he had also sensed their presence, because he was motionless now, no longer moving through the trees. Everyone was effectively concealed, neither side sure of where the other was. Thus, no one made a move, afraid of revealing their location.  
  
So they waited. Waiting for someone to make the first move or mistake.  
  
The waiting did not bother Shino, of course, or at least not visibly. Sakura was also remarkably composed, because she was pretty sure that this waiting game was better for her and Shino than it was for the enemy. If that scream had been any indication, the abduction was not going smoothly for the bad guys. One of the village's numerous patrols had probably gotten a whiff of the trouble here, and had intercepted the enemy. They had probably clashed, and now the enemy was retreating, looking for another escape route. That had to be the scenario. There was no other reason for the enemy to loop back like he had just done.  
  
Still looking out to the forest, Shino slowly made an open palm with his right hand, then closed to a fist. Standard Konoha ninja hand signals. He wanted to wait until the enemy made the first move, then they would intercept him. Sakura responded with an equally subtle thumbs up, showing that she understood. They were not the only ones pursuing the enemy (hopefully), and the enemy could not sit like this forever. He would be forced to reveal himself sooner or later.  
  
It was sooner. A shadow flashed to their left, and the Konoha genin immediately pursued. Shino took a direct route to intercept. Sakura closely followed behind at a wider angle, assuming a support position behind him. She already had several more daggers interlaced within her right hand, ready to throw - her eyes widened at the sight of a swarm of daggers already hurtling towards them. No way! She was just beginning her throwing motions, but the enemy had already thrown god knows how many knives at them. The enemy had revealed himself first, and yet, he was also attacking first. He was terribly fast, she realized. Considerably faster than them. Uh oh, this could be bad...  
  
She had to avoid those daggers, so she abruptly reached out for the nearest tree trunk. There were no nearby branches to grab on to, but that was okay. She was already channeling Chakra to the palm of her free hand and the soles of her feet. As she whizzed by the trunk, she reached out to place her hand and feet on the rough bark surface, using her Chakra to attach herself to the trunk - yoink! She jerked to a halt, clinging to the trunk like Spiderman and using its comforting solidness as a shield against the incoming hailstorm of enemy daggers. She breathed in relief as the daggers pounded forcibly into the other side of the trunk, and she readied her dagger-loaded right hand for a counter attack. Oh god, she hoped Shino had also escaped injury. He probably was okay, since he seemed to be pretty darned fast; but he had been closer to the enemy, thus giving him less time to react...  
  
A rustle sounded high above, and she instinctively hurled her daggers upwards - cling clang! The shadow had deflected one of the daggers with the kunai he wielded, while he avoided the others. The shadow then hurled his kunai back at Sakura, but she dodged it, already on the move, seeking better cover so she could throw more daggers from a distance. Judging from his speed, she did not want to fight this guy face to face -  
  
She had no choice, as the shadow abruptly changed course, dropping down through the branches to cut her off. She hurled another salvo of kunai at him, but he had another kunai out, and he expertly batted them aside - she stopped in her tracks, breathing hard and quick, clutching another kunai, trying to draw strength from the sturdy steel in her hands. For the enemy was standing on the tree branch in front of her, ready to engage in hand-to-hand combat.  
  
Now that the enemy had fully revealed himself to her, she immediately thought, "ANBU from foreign country." He wore a heavy cloak and a spooky mask, the mask adorned with a village symbol which was definitely not Konoha's symbol. She had no time to discern which village symbol it was, because the enemy was upon her and thrusting forward with a dagger.  
  
The attack was much faster than what she could usually handle, but she somehow managed to parry it with a wild slash and a good dose of luck. She was already rolling off to the side, striving to get away, but the enemy was relentless in his pursuit. He hurled his kunai at her rolling form while he pulled another one out from the depths of his cloak, and his thrown kunai found its target, stabbing her deep into the thigh. She bit her lip, fighting off the pain as she got to her feet, facing the enemy as she sprung backwards and away. She had to get distance between her and him, she had to!  
  
Painfully aware that her injured leg was hampering her attempt to create distance, she threw yet another salvo of daggers at him. Those were her last daggers, save for the one she had in her other hand. These would have to buy enough time so that Shino could come over and help, damn it, where the hell was he?!  
  
The enemy had knocked aside her thrown daggers, and he leapt after her, boring down - a trio of daggers hurtled in from her right. The enemy audibly grunted as he twisted his body in mid-leap to fend off the daggers, then Sakura's eyes widened in surprise as Shino exploded in from her left, aiming to tackle the airborne enemy... wait, if Shino had been to her left, who had attacked from the right side?  
  
The enemy barely had time to twist his body around to face the new incoming threat. But he had the time, Sakura realized. And her blood ran cold as she saw that the leaping airborne Shino was extremely vulnerable. Her fears were then justified, as the enemy thrust out with his dagger - Sakura's already wide eyes bulged even wider in horror, as the dagger stabbed into Shino's face, ripping completely through and exiting out the back of his head. Blood gushed out from the gaping mortal wounds, pouring all over the enemy's mask, coloring the white plastic with its own crimson red...  
  
She opened her mouth to scream. But then she stopped, as Shino's body began to waver before her eyes. The body suddenly disintegrated, and she could only gape as it transformed into a huge pulsating swarm of those Kikai bugs.  
  
She breathed in elation, "Kikai clone!", as the streams of blood that had splashed onto the enemy ninja, they now morphed into rivers of bugs. The bugs that had been the clone's head, they were already all over the enemy's arm. And when the clone's body had disintegrated, the rest of the bugs splashed down onto the prone enemy, immediately wrapping their writhing pseudopods around in a lethal embrace.  
  
The enemy ninja landed on a tree branch just below Sakura, struggling to maintain his balance while he tried to rid himself of the parasitic horde upon him. But he never had a chance, as his limbs were already sagging in weakness. Bugs were swarming up his neck and all over his face, and he had time to emit an aborted scream before the bugs totally clogged up his nose, mouth, and even his eyes. Sakura could see that he was trying to reach up with his arms to scrape away whatever he could, but they failed to respond, all of their energy already transferred to the ravenous insects. His legs were buckling also, and the enemy dropped heavily to his knees with a muffled groan. With one final desperate effort, he managed to lift his head and raise a hand to the sky, perhaps beseeching for divine intervention. But if that was the case, his gods did not respond to the plea. The hand then fell back to his side, the head lolled off, and he catapulted onto his face...  
  
"Sakura-san."   
  
Sakura yelped and spun around, raising her kunai to skewer whoever the hell had snuck up behind her. But then her mind registered the quiet voice as that belonging to Shino, and she froze. "Shino-san!"  
  
"Mmm." Shino nodded in acknowledgment as he stood beside her to watch his bugs feast upon the limp body.  
  
Sakura looked down also. "Did we get him?"  
  
"I'm not sure."  
  
His response was rather cryptic, but Sakura didn't bother to ask about it, satisfied with the fact that they were both alive and well. While her thundering heart slowly returned to its normal throbbing pace, she started to look away from the body - poof! She blinked as the enemy's body vanished into smoke, the surprised bugs now falling onto the tree branch and the ground below.  
  
She exclaimed, "He was a clone, too! A shadow clone!"  
  
"So it would seem. Apparently he created this clone in an attempt to confuse his pursuers." Shino knelt down to examine her injured leg. "How bad is it?"  
  
Somehow she had completely forgotten about her injury. She looked down at the dagger embedded inside her thigh, then growled as she yanked out the irritating thing. "It hurts like hell, but I don't think it's serious."  
  
"Can you move? We need to move to a better hiding spot."  
  
Sakura nodded as she stood up. "I can move."  
  
"Make sure to keep pressure on the wound." Shino stood up and nodded to his right. "We'll take cover inside those bushes - "  
  
A crisp and boisterous woman's voice called out, "Ahoy there!"  
  
Shino and Sakura spun to see a woman in a trench overcoat, flanked by two Konoha ANBU ninjas. Sakura instantly recognized her as Anko Mitarashi, that crazy Special Jounin ninja who had overseen the 2nd part of the Chuunin exam. In a flash, Anko and the two ANBU were next to the genins, and Anko demanded, "Where is the intruder?!"  
  
Shino replied, "It was a shadow clone, and we destroyed it."  
  
The two ANBU members were busy scanning the forest, while Anko paused to rub her chin in thought. "You took out a clone of that guy? Not bad."  
  
Sakura anxiously asked, "What about Hinata-san! Have you found her yet?!"  
  
"We're still looking. Three other ANBU patrols are already out there, so I'm sure we'll get the bastard. You two get back to the main village, there's nothing more you can do here." She waved to the ANBUs. "Let's head back, this is a false trail!"  
  
Sakura said, "Wait, did you - " Anko and the ANBU were already gone, and Sakura sighed in dismay. "They still haven't found Hinata. I sure hope she is okay..."  
  
The two Genins had taken Anko's advice, and they were now heading back to the main village. They were not leaping from tree to tree any more, though. Rather, they were hobbling along on the ground: Sakura limping, with Shino plodding beside her...  
  
As soon as they hit the ground, the first thing he did was look down at her bloodstained leg. And he asked: "Do you need any help?"  
  
"No thanks, I'll be all right. Hey, what do you think that enemy was? Jounin-level? His clone alone was pretty tough."  
  
"Definitely an elite Jounin," Shino agreed. "Only such a Jounin would have the abilities necessary to sneak into our village, kidnap Hinata, and escape unnoticed. It would be foolish for an enemy village to send anyone of a lower rank."  
  
"Well, too bad he ran into two elite Genins!" Sakura then added, "Well, at least you are an elite Genin, Shino-san. I'm not sure if I am one just yet."  
  
"I am sure you are an elite Genin, Sakura-san. And if not, you are very close."  
  
The two then walked in silence, but Sakura remembered something that she had wanted to ask about: "Shino-san, I was just wondering, what are you doing when you listen to the ground and the trees? How can you hear all these things that happen so far away?"  
  
"A ninja never reveals his secrets."  
  
"Huh?" Sakura blinked in surprise. "Is it really that big of a secret?"  
  
"Well..." Shino coughed into the upturned collar of his coat. "Sakura-san, I notice that your taijutsu and overall movement have improved since the Chuunin Exam."  
  
Sakura grumbled to herself, "Gee, he really isn't going to tell me! What a meanie!" But she quickly warmed up to him, since his compliment seemed like an earnest one. "Yeah, I've been training pretty hard since the exam ended. After watching guys like Lee-san, Naruto, and Sasuke-kun, I was so inspired to try and do better!" She then added, "And Shino-san, you were awesome back there, too. That bug clone is pretty dangerous, huh?"  
  
"Mmm." He nodded. "It can be handy in certain situations."  
  
"Is that what you always do whenever you fight? Get your bugs onto the enemy, so they can eat all his Chakra?"  
  
"Not really. I just defeat my opponent any way I can. The bugs are extremely useful tools, though. And if an enemy ever does get caught inside a swarm of bugs, it is over for him."  
  
"I could tell," Sakura agreed with a shudder, remembering how the bugs had been stuffing themselves down the hapless clone's throat, let alone bleeding away all of the chakra inside. What a bad way to go, even if it was just a clone.  
  
Shino again looked down at her bloodstained leg. "Are you sure you don't need any help?" Her limp wasn't getting any worse, but still, it was pretty noticeable...  
  
Outer Sakura smiled sheepishly at his offer. "I'm fine, Shino-san, I'm fine! Don't worry about me!" However, underneath the smile, Inner Sakura was bellowing and stomping about in fury. "Don't pamper me just because I am a girl, damn it!"  
  
To be fair, though, she wasn't quite sure if Shino was actually patronizing her. Perhaps he was just being thorough. Anyways, something else was tickling her in the back of her head. What was it... she snapped her fingers. "Oh! I wonder what's happened to Kiba!"  
  
Shino grunted, "I'm sure Kiba is fine."  
  
"Why do you say that?"  
  
"Kiba is not the type of guy who can be easily killed, unfortunately."  
  
"Oh, I see..."  
  
Sakura then blinked. Did Shino just come up with a joke?! She looked up to study his face, wondering if he would be wearing a little telltale smile of amusement. But no, there was no such smile, as he looked back at her with that deadpan of his. Oh my goodness, had he really meant it, then?! Did he really hate Kiba that much?! Did he really want his own teammate to die?! No, he couldn't possibly want that! Could he?!  
  
Shino's calmness interrupted her rambling thoughts: "Sakura-san."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"That was a joke."  
  
"Oh..." Sakura started to laugh. "Okay, I get it! Gee, Shino-san, that was pretty funny! I didn't know you made jokes like that!"  
  
He nodded in confirmation. "I usually don't. Perhaps I should try more often?"  
  
"It couldn't hurt." She looked back up at him again. No trace of amusement on his face whatsoever. And yet, somehow, he seemed to project an aura of contentment; instinctively, she could tell that, in his own way, he was amused.  
  
She smiled to herself. "What a weirdo."  
  
As the two Genins finally walked through the front gates of the village hospital, they had relaxed to the point where they were quite open to attack. And this was unfortunate, because danger did await them. More specifically, two predators were lying in wait, hiding in the shadows, ready to pounce upon their unsuspecting victims...  
  
A familiar rude and rowdy voice shouted: "YAHOOEY! You guys are all right!"  
  
Shino and Sakura turned to see Kiba and Akamaru already airborne, leaping right at the two Genins. Shino realized that, as Kiba closed in on his "prey", the dog boy's arms were spread wide open in an unmistakably affectionate gesture. And Shino's brow wrinkled in genuine horror as he shouted, "Kiba! What are you doing - "  
  
Kiba abruptly crashed into Shino, his arms entangling the bug boy inside a mighty bear hug. "Man, Shino, I was worried about you!"  
  
Sakura giggled at Shino's raised and apprehensive eyebrows, then bent down to pick up the bouncing and tail-wagging Akamaru. "Hiiii, cutie poochie!"  
  
While Akamaru lathered Sakura's face with doggy kisses, Shino was looking quite rumpled from all of Kiba's hugging. And somehow, he managed to retain his dignity despite his coat being jerked this way and that. "Is Hinata okay?"  
  
Kiba shouted, "Yeah, she's doing fine! She's got a couple bruises and scratches, but otherwise, no problem! She's asleep right now, and she'll be staying here overnight for observation, but still, better than being dead, right?!"  
  
Sakura managed to push away Akamaru and his lapping tongue for a moment. "So, what exactly happened?"  
  
Kiba said, "Well, the ANBU found Hinata - yaaah!" He abruptly let go of Shino, and he started to dance around, frantically dusting himself off. "Damn it, Shino, your bugs are all over me!"  
  
Shino was fastidiously adjusting his coat. "Don't worry, Kiba. They will not feed upon your Chakra unless I tell them to do so - " He held out a hand. "Hey! Be more careful with my bugs. Don't jump around like that, you might step on them."  
  
"Then tell them to get off me! Jump off, fly off, I don't care, tell them to GET OFF me!"  
  
"Correction, Kiba. Kikai bugs can neither jump nor fly." And with that tidbit of information, Shino started to chase around the hopping Kiba, ordering the noncompliant dog boy to stay still. Akamaru thought they were playing now, and with an excited bark, he jumped out of Sakura's arms to join the fray, running back and forth between the two with his tail and tongue madly wagging...  
  
As the two male members of Team 8 sorted things out between themselves, a heartily laughing Sakura felt someone walking up behind her, and she turned to see Anko Mitarashi once again. With a cheery flushed face, Sakura stopped laughing and quickly composed herself as best she could. "Anko-san! Can you tell me what happened to Hinata?"  
  
The round-faced button-nosed Jounin brightened at the sight of Sakura. "Ah, you from the forest!" Anko could not quite remember this girl's name, unfortunately. "You're one of Kakashi's prized pupils, right? Well... uh..." Anko's reply died at her lips, as she stared at the antics of Team 8 minus Hinata. "What the hell are those boys doing?"  
  
Shino had finally gotten Kiba to stay still by putting the dog boy into a headlock. He was trying to tell Kiba something, but Kiba would have none of it as he squirmed inside Shino's grip and yelled bloody murder. Meanwhile, Akamaru was running around them in circles, joyously barking at the horseplay, augmenting the racket even further...  
  
An embarrassed Sakura smiled apologetically. "You'll have to excuse them, Anko-san. They are boys, after all."  
  
"No kidding." Anko shook her head. "Anyway, about Hinata. We found Hinata lying on the ground about a mile away from Training Area #7, where she was under some sort of sleep paralysis jutsu. We couldn't find the guy who tried to abduct her, though. The perpetrator probably panicked and ditched her, so that he could flee unhindered."  
  
"It was just one person?"  
  
"That's what I think. Just one person, and maybe two or three of his shadow clones."  
  
Kiba then stuck his nose into the conversation, rubbing his sore neck. "Hey Sakura, Anko-san said you and Shino took out one of the bad guy's shadow clones?!"  
  
"Yup! Pretty cool, huh?"  
  
"Aw, man! Akamaru and I didn't get to fight any of those shadow clones, damn it! We ran right into an ANBU patrol, and they made us go home! What a bunch of crap!"  
  
Akamaru voiced his agreement: "Arf!"  
  
Shino stepped up to stand by Sakura, calm once again now that all of his bugs had returned to him. "Kiba, we should be thankful for our safety. If any of us had stumbled upon the real kidnapper, he would have killed us."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, whatever..."  
  
Sakura frowned at Kiba's grouchiness. "Shino-san is right, Kiba. We should all be glad that no one got seriously hurt!"  
  
Anko grimaced at the naivety of these Genins. "Sorry to burst your bubble, kids, but people did die today."  
  
The three Genins promptly quieted down (except for Shino, who was already quiet), and their collective mood became sadly solemn. Kiba felt particularly foolish, as he kicked at the ground, unable to bring his eyes up to meet Anko's grey-eyed stare. Sakura had a hand over her mouth as she asked, "People died? Who?"  
  
"The perpetrator killed all three members of a Chuunin patrol upon his initial penetration. And during his escape, he killed two ANBU members."  
  
Sakura gasped, "Five people?!"  
  
"Yeah, five. It could have been worse, though. If the perpetrator had wanted to, he could have killed Hinata instead of just leaving her behind." Anko sighed as she turned to walk off. "This is reality, kids. This is how ninjas live."  
  
Sakura repeated to herself, "This is reality?"  
  
The familiarity of those words were nagging her... yes, that's right. It was Shino who had said the exact same words earlier today. She looked to see that Shino had turned his back to everyone, and he was staring blankly at the nearest wall. She looked back at the receding image of the departing Anko. Then back to Shino. Back to Anko. Back to Shino...  
  
Coincidence? Probably not. But then, how did those two come around to forming identical beliefs, which they happened to express in the same exact words? They could not have learned those words in the classroom, because Sakura could not think of any tenet in the ninja academy textbooks which sounded anything like their words. And she knew that she had not forgotten any of those tenets (one of the few benefits of having extremely large cranial capacity, she wryly thought to herself)...  
  
"Shino-san? Are you okay?"  
  
"Mmm." He turned to face Sakura. "I am fine. Why do you ask?"  
  
"It's just that... you don't look very happy right now."  
  
"Have I ever looked happy to you?"  
  
Sakura blinked at his vaguely confrontational words. If someone lighthearted, like Naruto, had blabbed those words, she might have construed them as an attempt at humor. But with Shino and his deadpan, she couldn't tell if he was being funny, hostile, irritated, or hurt. She opened her mouth, then hesitated, not quite sure how to respond...  
  
"That was supposed to be a joke, Sakura-san."  
  
An inwardly sigh of relief. So she hadn't hurt his feelings after all. "Oh, okay. Haha, that was kinda funny! Sort of."  
  
Her titter was not very convincing, and Shino grunted from behind his coat collar. "Hmm. My joke was not very funny, was it?"  
  
For some reason, Sakura found his self-evaluation of being unfunny to be quite, well, funny. And a small smile involuntarily surfaced as she admitted, "Not really. But don't give up! You just need to work on your delivery, that's all."  
  
"Hmm. I see - "  
  
"Oi oi oi!" Kiba had thrust himself back into the limelight, Akamaru back on top of his head. "Helping out Shino with his pickup lines, Sakura?! Lord knows he needs the help!"  
  
Shino warned, "Be quiet, Kiba, unless you want yourself in another headlock."  
  
"Bah, you caught me off guard last time! I'm ready now!" Kiba jumped back to lower himself into a wrestling stance. "Bring it on, bug boy! I'll show you who's the leader of this pack!"  
  
Shino refused to take the bait. "We should go see Hinata now. And Sakura-san should get her leg attended to."  
  
"Good idea, Shino-san!" Sakura had completely forgotten about her injury yet again. "Geez, I keep forgetting about this darned leg..."  
  
The two then walked towards the hospital's front doors, while Kiba danced around them, waving his arms about and clucking like a chicken. "Bawk bawk bawk bagaaawk! Shino, you big chicken, you should replace all your bugs with feathers! Bagaaawk!"  
  
Akamaru attempted to cluck along with his master: "Awoo awoo awoo awoooooo!"  
  
Shino simply shook his head at his teammate's dead-on impersonation of an angry fowl, while Sakura couldn't help but laugh. Kiba was encouraged by her response, and his eyes bulged dangerously now, almost popping out of their sockets, as he stuck out his head: "Bagaaaaawk!" Yet another laugh elicited from Sakura, which resulted in yet another "Bagaaaawk!", followed by some boot-clad feet scratching the ground...  
  
However, despite the festive air about them, Sakura had not forgotten about Anko's/Shino's words. And someday, sometime, she wanted to ask Shino about those words. Ask about their origins. Ask about their meaning. Ask about their history.  
  
For some reason, to her, it just seemed like he wanted to talk about them.  
  
CHAPTER ENDS  
  
Notes: I had to have Anko appear in this fic somewhere. She's just hilarious. Especially when she first makes her entrance during the Chuunin Exam and yells, "FOLLOW ME!"... some of you may be wondering about this listening ability that Shino has? Well, during the 2nd part of the Chuunin Exam, when Shino's team spies on Gaara's team, Shino puts his ear to the ground and somehow hears Gaara's team and that Rain team, who are one kilometer away. I don't know how the hell he does it, and I don't even want to try and explain it. Hence, in this chapter, Shino does not explain it to Sakura; he just chooses to not reveal his secret. :-)  
  
RESPONSES TO CHAPTER 3 REVIEWS:  
  
mai-v: I'm glad you like this fic! Happy holidays to you! And is this a SakuShino fic? Well...  
  
ccslover: Well, as you can see, Hinata didn't get hurt! An early Christmas present for you... and as for your question. Will it end up Saku/Shino? Well...  
  
ILUVSHINO-KUN: Haha, okay, okay, I guess Shino's hair is pretty cool. But still, it does look pretty unmanageable to me!  
  
Alden Hawke: Hey, what's wrong with the "Ino likes you, Shino" part? You are not a fan of InoShino, I presume?  
  
Nalanzu: Yeah, there's no yaoi in this fic. It's all het. I am straight, and I don't have the imagination to write about what goes on inside the minds of guys involved in a yaoi relationship. BTW, I'm new to Naruto fanfics, and I am boggled by the amount of yaoi in here!  
  
Tasha3, Amy, Liika: Glad you like the fic so far! 


	5. Dear Diary

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters affiliated with Naruto. 

QUESTION: What does 'fluff' mean? I see that term used often to describe certain fanfics. Does it refer to silly stuff in fics?

CHAPTER BEGINS...

_ Dear Diary. I visited the village headquarters just an hour ago, and Hokage-sama herself told me that Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke-kun would be home in only four days. Four days! Yay! I can't wait until Sasuke-kun comes back! I was so worried about him. I was afraid that he might run into his brother, or maybe even that Orochimaru creep! Thank god for Kakashi-sensei, he tracked down Sasuke-kun so fast. Kakashi-sensei is the best! Maybe the next time he is late for a training session, I won't give him such a hard time. I'll let Naruto do all the bitching instead, hee hee...  
  
I am going to buy a gift for Sasuke-kun when he returns. He will probably be in a bad mood, but I am sure that my gift will make him so happy! Well, I hope so, at least. I don't know what I'm going to get him, though. It's not easy to make Sasuke-kun happy...  
_  
Sakura Haruno stopped writing for a moment, and she pursed her lips as she drummed a well-worn ballpoint pen against the tip of her nose. She was currently sprawled on her bed, tummy lying flat against the sheets, lower legs swaying back and forth in the air like an inverted pendulum, toes wiggling about in ten individual directions. Her personal diary also lay on the bed, opened in front of her. She had been working on this diary since her preschool days - no, she corrected herself in mid-thought. Technically, she had been working on this diary since her grade school days, this being her second diary. As for her first diary...  
  
Her first diary had been a tiny little heart-shaped booklet her mother had bought. A cute little item, to be sure, and very fitting for a pre-school girl who adored anything pink and/or shaped like hearts. The number of pages was a bit lacking, but her mother had thought that the capacity would be more than enough for a child who was still learning how to write. Unfortunately, this particular child became a proficient writer in no time at all (as proficient as a five year old could be), and the booklet lasted only a year before Sakura found herself on the final few pages, scribbling her short sweet sentences.   
  
Sakura had then gone shopping with her mom, and she hand-picked the booklet that would become her next diary. It had all the necessary prerequisites. It was pink. It had a collage of rainbow-colored hearts all over the cover. And most importantly, it was excessively huge, a thousand blank pages strong. Her diary-to-be had been so heavy, when little Sakura first tugged it off the shelf to go show it to mommy, she had not been ready for the sheer weight, and she had accidentally dropped it into her toes. She didn't cry too much from the pain, though, because other children her age were also in the store, and she didn't want to be known as both a crybaby AND a girl with a huge ugly forehead.  
  
At first, most of her entries were usually written in one of the two following templates. 1) A short blurb about how cute Sasuke-kun was, accompanied by a brief doodle of hearts and flowers. Or, 2) A short blurb about how she hated her big ugly forehead, and how she hated the kids who made fun of said forehead. After a couple years, however, her entries became longer and more sophisticated, as she started to write about things other than Sasuke-kun (although most of the entries still revolved around him). Her first friend Ino Yamanaka. Her new hairstyle and hair ribbon, thanks to Ino. That annoying brat Naruto. That funny scar on Iruka-sensei's nose. Her first rival Ino Yamanaka. Yet another new hairstyle, thanks to her discovery of Sasuke-kun's preference for long hair. Graduating from the academy. Becoming a team with Naruto and Sasuke. Complaining about the tardiness of their new teacher, Kakashi-sensei. Reflections on the deceased Zabuza and Haku. So on, and so forth.  
  
Her sea-green eyes now drifted away from the flowery pastel paper in front of her, an unfocused glaze settling over them as she contemplated the subject most often featured in her diary: Sasuke Uchiha...  
  
Then her head bowed back down over her diary, the green eyes regaining focus onto her neat printed handwriting. She reached up with a hand to tuck a stray pink lock of hair inside its proper place behind her ear. Streamlining her thoughts, readying to transfer them from mind to parchment. Then the pen dipped down, and it started to scratch once again:  
  
_ I'm still nervous about Sasuke-kun's safety, though. Yesterday, Hinata was almost kidnapped by some unknown enemy, and this morning, Hokage-sama told me that this incident was not isolated. There have been a growing number of guerrilla-style attacks on our village recently, and the attackers are becoming more bold with each day that passes. No one knows who the attackers are, or what their objective is. Regardless of who these attackers are, the longer Sasuke-kun is away from the village, the more likely that something terrible might happen to him. I know Sasuke-kun has gotten much stronger, and he does have Kakashi-sensei with him. But still, I worry...  
  
These days, I am beginning to realize what it truly means to be a ninja. It started during the Sand/Sound war, but even then, I still didn't really understand. I felt like a spectator the entire time, watching Sasuke do this, or Naruto do that. But like what I described in yesterday's entry, I have realized that I can't stand by and watch anymore. I am a ninja of the Village of the Leaf, and I must do what I can to help my village any way possible.   
  
Although yesterday's events were really scary and almost ended up killing me, that rescue mission was the most satisfying mission for me ever since I became a Genin. In the grand scheme of things, Shino and I didn't really do much to help Hinata. But we did help Anko-san figure out which trail belonged to the real bad guy, and more importantly, I actually played a major role in destroying that shadow clone! Well, Shino was the guy who actually destroyed the clone. But later, he did tell me that it would have been much harder if the clone hadn't been distracted while fighting me. And I was holding my own against the clone, too! Yay! Girl power!  
_  
The pen then paused in mid-scratch, and the sea-green eyes looked up for a moment to stare at empty space. A lightly inhaled breath, as she pondered how to start this next paragraph... then the eyes lowered, and the pen slid over to start scratching on a fresh new page.  
  
_ I didn't write much about him in yesterday's entry, I was so tired. But that Shino guy is a little different from what I had expected. I thought he was this totally creepy guy who didn't talk to anybody. But it turns out that he's just a weird and quiet guy. And he even tries to tell jokes, though his delivery sucks! I guess he's not used to socializing with people? I bet he's really conscious about all those bugs living inside him and how creepy they are. Maybe similar to how I'm so conscious about my forehead, huh? Gee, I can kinda understand his weird behaviour, I guess. Even if he didn't have all those bugs, though, he'd probably still not talk much. He just seems to be a naturally quiet guy...  
  
I don't remember what he was like in grade school, because I didn't pay much attention to him. I do remember that he was taller than everyone else, so kids were afraid to pick on him even though he was so weird. He's not quiet like, say, Hinata, either. Hinata looks like she wants to hide every time you make eye contact with her, but Shino-san just stares back at you from behind those glasses of his. And he's taller than everyone, too, so he's always looking down at you, and it's kinda intimidating. He's not intimidating when you talk to him, though, he's just really serious ALL the time. He's kinda like Lee-san, in that he's actually way different from what his appearance indicates. Lee-san seemed like a total dork at first, but of course, he's a really good guy. And Shino-san, well, he seems like a creepy and cold guy, but really, he's just serious.  
  
I also wonder if he's quiet because his mother died when he was really young. Maybe I should ask him about that - no, I shouldn't, that would be too prying of me. I do want to ask him about those words he said though. About how this is reality and how ninjas live. He and Anko-san said the exact same thing, and that can't be a coincidence, can it? Yes, next time I see him, I'll find a way to ask him about it -   
_  
Her hand was starting to ache now; she had been writing so fast without interruption for the past ten minutes. The pen stopped scratching, and she set it down as she shook her stiff wrist in an attempt to limber it up. The green eyes scanned over the two pages she had just written, and she couldn't help but breathe in surprise. She hadn't realized that she had been writing so much; this entry was the longest one she had written in a while, for sure. So much to write about, though. Sasuke-kun, the guerrilla attacks, Shino-san... she had not even gotten around to writing about her newest plan for Shino and Ino to hook up. Maybe she would write that later. She could feel a case of writer's block sneaking up on her, and she didn't feel like fighting through it just to write a couple more measly paragraphs -  
  
Her ears pricked up at the sound of the doorbell. Odd. She wasn't expecting anybody to stop by today. Perhaps her mother had guests today?  
  
Then her mother called out from somewhere downstairs: "Sakuraaaa! Can you go see who's at the door?! I'm busy folding the laundry!"  
  
Well, that answered that question. Apparently her mother wasn't expecting anybody, either. Sakura yelled back, "Okay, mom, I got it!", as she clapped her diary shut, stuffed it under the mattress, and flopped off her bed. The kuniochi then stampeded down the stairs and scooted across the marble floor hallway, sliding to a stop on her sock-clad feet. Then her hand wrested the door open, resulting in a blink of total shock on her part.  
  
"Shino-san? What are you doing here?!"  
  
The bug boy's hand briefly raised in salutations, before returning to its customary pocket. "Hello, Sakura-san. Are you busy right now?"  
  
Ninjas were always supposed to be on their toes and never caught off guard. Unfortunately, Sakura failed to do both as she simply stood there, hand still glued to doorknob, totally confused and flat-footed, staring stupidly up at Shino. In a rather thick and confused voice: "What? Am I busy?"  
  
"Yes, Sakura-san. Are you busy right now?"  
  
His deliberate concise words gave her addled mind the time to finally process what was going on, and she said with more clarity now: "Um, not really. What's up?" Then the light bulb of revelation suddenly sparked to life above her head. "Oh wait, I know! You're here about Ino, huh?!"  
  
"Actually, no. I am here to ask if you wish to train with me and Kiba."  
  
The murky obscure depths of total confusion claimed the mind of Sakura Haruno again. "Huh? Me train with you guys? Why?"  
  
"Hinata is currently not available, and we would prefer to have a third person for our training exercises."  
  
"What do you mean, Hinata is not available? Oh my god!" She was now straddling the line between the realms of confusion and fretfulness. "Hinata is okay, isn't she?! I thought she left the hospital this morning - "  
  
"Do not fear, Hinata is in good health. However, as long as the guerrilla attacks continue, Hinata's father will not allow her to leave the Hyuuga estate. He is convinced that the enemy wants the secrets of the Byakugan, and he fears for her safety."  
  
Again, the deliberate manner of Shino's speech gave her time to collect herself. "Oh, I see... so you guys are looking for a replacement for Hinata?"  
  
"A temporary replacement. Until the guerrilla attacks are resolved."  
  
Sakura automatically responded, "Well, thanks for the offer, but I'm pretty busy with my own team - " She stopped. Wait a minute. No, she was not busy with her own team. As a matter of fact, she hadn't really done anything with her team for almost a month now! Sasuke-kun was either training with Kakashi-sensei or awol in search for his brother. Naruto was now with that legendary frog guy whom Sakura didn't know much about, other than he was supposed to be as powerful as Hokage-sama. And Sakura, well, she had been pretty much on her own for the past one and a half months now.  
  
Right after the 2nd round of the Chuunin exam, Kakashi-sensei had taken the time to sit her down, so that he could explain why things had to be this way. Why he had to spend so much time alone with Sasuke-kun. His explanation had been rational, reasonable, practical. It made complete sense, from a certain point of view. But still, the whole situation still pissed her off, because it was all predicated on the premise that she was an unimportant individual. An individual whom the village simply did not consider to be as crucial as Sasuke-kun or Naruto. Those two were going to be the cornerstones of Konoha's future, while Sakura was just part of the ho-hum mortar that filled the cracks in between.  
  
Kakashi-sensei had never come out and said this straight up, of course; he had been mincing with his words, sensitive to her feelings and self-esteem. However, Sakura was more than smart enough to figure out what was going on. And this unspoken premise really grinded away at her, day and night. Perhaps the premise was true. Perhaps she deserved that label, seeing as to how she had not yet mastered any skills other than the basic Genin techniques -  
  
Inner Sakura bellowed, "HELL NO! I'll show Kakashi-sensei, Naruto, Sasuke-kun, all of them! I'll show everyone that I can kick as much ass as my teammates! I'll train so hard, I'll become so kick ass, yeah yeah, I will ROCK, and they will be FORCED to acknowledge me as one of the elite Genins of Konoha!"  
  
The formerly serene emerald eyes were now belching fiery flames of fury, and her clenched teeth were audibly grinding against each other. Shino immediately took a step back away from the blazing kuniochi, and he hastily said, "If you do not wish to train with us, I understand - "  
  
"I accept your offer, Shino-san!" Inner Sakura spilled over to Outer Sakura now, as she gnashed her chompers together with such violence, Shino half-expected sparks to start flying from her mouth. "Let's go train right now - "  
  
Wait, hold on, she thought to herself, as a bucket of reality splashed onto and instantly doused the fire within her. If Sasuke-kun was going to be back in four days...  
  
Considerably subdued now, she murmured, "Shino-san, I'm sorry, but I think it would be better if you asked someone else."  
  
"Hmm?" He was a bit puzzled by her display of schizophrenia, and it showed in his flexed brow. "So you do not wish to train with us."  
  
"Well, I'd like to, but Sasuke-kun will be back soon. And when he returns, maybe our team will, you know..."  
  
When it became evident that she would not bring an end to her sentence, he finished the thought for her: "Get back together again?"  
  
"Yeah, something like that." She blinked now. "Shino-san, how did you know that our team has been separated?" This tidibit was not exactly common knowledge among the public.  
  
"Quite a few people know about your team's peculiar arrangement, Sakura-san."  
  
"I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. It's not classified information or anything." With a sigh, she leaned a shoulder against the doorjamb. "That's why you're asking me, huh? Because you know that I have oodles of free time on my hands."  
  
"I do not look at it in that manner, Sakura-san. Your teammates just happen to be the two most powerful Genins in recent Konoha history, that's all."  
  
A moment of silence, as she pondered if he really meant those words, or if he was just trying to make her feel better. Shino didn't seem like the type of guy who would coddle others, but... anyways. She pulled herself off the doorjamb. "Well, once again, Shino-san, I'm sorry, but I can't do it." A small smile of appreciation. "Thanks for asking, though."  
  
"Not a problem." He bowed his head in farewell. "Sakura-san, you have a good day - "  
  
She quickly interjected, "Hey Shino-san, can I ask you a question about yesterday?"  
  
He bowed his head again, except this time, it was a brief nod. "Sure."  
  
Sakura felt a bit uncomfortable asking this question, so she was back to leaning against the doorjamb, trying to relax the atmosphere as much as possible: "Yesterday, I noticed that you and Anko-san both said the same thing. About how this is reality, and this is how ninjas live. That was not a coincidence, was it?"  
  
"No, it was not."  
  
Shino did not seem annoyed by the question, which encouraged Sakura to probe a little further. "I see." Her face was now wrinked in perplexion. "Then where did you guys hear those words? No one had ever said anything like that to me before."  
  
"When my mother died seven years ago, Anko-san told me those exact words."  
  
"Shino-san, I'm so sorry! I didn't know..." Damn it, Sakura said to herself. I knew I shouldn't have asked this question!  
  
"Do not worry, it does not bother me much anymore."   
  
His reassurance quelled her embarrassment a bit, but she was still hesitant as she asked in a small voice, "Did your mother die during a mission? Like the people who died yesterday?"  
  
"Mmm." A nod. "My mother's team walked into an ambush, and they were all killed. Anko-san was part of the ANBU hunter-nin team that disposed of their bodies."  
  
Disposed of their bodies, Sakura repeated within her mind. So he never had a chance to even bury his mother...  
  
Shino was not done with his little anecdote. "Afterwards, Anko-san stopped by our home and told us what had happened. That was when she told me those words which you heard yesterday."  
  
"I see..."  
  
She then opened her mouth to ask another question, but she thought better of it and clammed up. Shino noticed this, of course, and he said, "Were you about to ask something?"  
  
"Well, yes, I was just wondering... when Anko-san said those words yesterday to us, she didn't seem to pay any special attention to you, even though she told you the same words seven years ago... I guess she forgot about you and your mother?"  
  
"Probably. I imagine she has used that phrase many times throughout her life."  
  
"It must have been hard for you, Shino-san..." Sakura felt like a dolt for having said something so trite, but she had to say it. For decency's sake. "You were only five years old then, right?"  
  
"Mmm." A nod. "Guys like Sasuke, Naruto, and I. We are the unlucky ones, I suppose."  
  
She nodded emphatically, showing that she understood. Shino had lost his mother. Sasuke's parents - no, his entire clan - had been wiped out. And Naruto didn't even know who his parents were. She remembered how once, a long time ago, she did not understand just how unfortunate these boys were. But that one day, her first day as a Genin, when Iruka-sensei had assigned them to their teams. She had made fun of the parentless Naruto, and then she had received a curt yet stinging tongue-lashing from Sasuke-kun...  
  
Shino seemed even more somber than usual, so Sakura tried to sound cheerful as she piped up, "You seem to be dealing with it pretty well, though, Shino-san."  
  
"Mmm." His voice was no longer bore that deathly somber tone. "That's true."  
  
Buoyed by his raised voice, Sakura pulled herself away from the doorjamb again, so that she could stand upright, hands folded in front of herself. "I guess that's why you're so quiet and serious, huh? You decided that you wanted to grow up fast and become a mature man, as soon as possible."  
  
"Sort of. However, I don't think I'm grown up just yet."  
  
"Well, at least you are more mature than so many other boys from our class!" Sakura crossed her arms now, voice no longer hushed. "You know who I mean, right? Guys like Naruto and Kiba and - hey, where is Kiba, anyway?"  
  
"He went to ask Naruto if he wanted to train with us."  
  
"He did? Wow, he wanted to form a new team out of the four of us?"  
  
The first sign of discomfort from Shino. "Not exactly."  
  
She gave him a strange look. "What do you mean?"  
  
Incredibly enough, Shino actually hesitated one more time. Then he said, "Kiba didn't want you to train with us. He wanted Naruto. He said that we should let you in only as a last resort."  
  
"Huh? Why - wait a minute! Kiba thinks I'm weak?!"  
  
"Mmm. More or less."  
  
Outer Sakura sheepishly scratched her head at that. "Oh, I see..."  
  
Meanwhile, Inner Sakura had erupted into a pink-haired angel of vengeance: "DAMN THAT KIBA BASTARD!" She was wildly punching the air in a veritable frenzy, burning with an insatiable thirst to spill some dog boy blood. "Kiba thinks I'm weak, does he?! Well, I'll show him, damn it! I'll kick his ass, I'll punch his face in, I'll - "  
  
Outer Sakura finally realized that Shino was saying something, and she stopped dreaming about all the terrible things she would do if she ever got her hands on Kiba. "I'm sorry, Shino-san, what did you say?"  
  
He patiently repeated himself: "Don't pay attention to what Kiba thinks of you. He thinks he knows everything, but he doesn't."  
  
"Oh, don't worry about me, Shino-san, I'm not mad at Kiba or anything!" An appeasing smile from Sakura as she waved away his concern. "I'll be like you. I'll be mature about it and ignore that stupid boy."  
  
Somehow, someway, a smile seemed to lurking underneath his deadpan mask. "Sakura-san, you don't have to worry about becoming mature just yet. After all, we are still only twelve years old."  
  
"That's true, but still the life of a ninja is so serious, and all these guerrilla attacks are happening now, and yet..." An embarrassed red-faced smile as she looked down at her feet. "I find myself doing all these silly things about Sasuke-kun, and..." A wistful sigh directed towards her toes. "I don't know. After all this time, I'm not sure if I fully understand what sort of committment it takes to be a ninja."  
  
Shino seemed at a loss for words, until he simply shrugged. "I am sure you will reach an understanding, Sakura-san." He then bowed his head in farewell like he had done minutes ago, but this time with finality. "I should be going now. I have to meet Kiba at Training Area #12 in fifteen minutes."  
  
"Oh, okay." Sakura shook herself, freeing her mind from the odd numbness that was seeping in; she had been almost lulled into a hypnotic trance by Shino's sedative tone of voice. "Geez, we've been here for a while, huh?!" She perked up now with a bright smile. "Anyways, nice talking to you, Shino-san. And once again, thanks for asking!"  
  
"No problem." He was already clomping down the steps in front of her home. "See you later, Sakura-san."  
  
A goodbye wave from her. "Take care! Have fun training with Kiba!"  
  
_ I finished talking to Shino just now, and I finally found out what those words were all about. And yeah, they were about his mother, poor Shino... Anko-san said those words to him when he was only five years old, too. That really must have been tough... no wonder he's so quiet and serious all the time... you know, he never did explain exactly how that tragedy motivated him. He just kind of skipped over it... maybe he wants revenge, like Sasuke-kun? No, probably not. He doesn't seem to be perpetually angry like Sasuke-kun... although it's not fair to Sasuke-kun, because his situation is totally different from Shino's... maybe Shino simply wants to become as strong as possible, so that when he goes out on missions, his team won't ever die like his mother's did? I should ask Shino about that later...  
  
You know, about the anger issue. That's definitely the weirdest thing about Shino. He never seems to get angry, period! He's so calm and cool and mature, I've never seen him get flustered or lose his temper - no, wait. He does get mad at Kiba once a while. But then again, who wouldn't? I can't stand that dog boy! He's so annoying and smelly and bossy! And he thinks I'm weak, too?! Forget him! Hmmph! He can go poop in the bushes for all I care!  
  
But then again, I do need to improve myself as a ninja... you know what? So what if everyone thinks I'm weak because I don't have any special talents? In that case, I'll just have to learn a technique that will make me special! Damn it, Kakashi-sensei, get back here with Sasuke-kun pronto! I need you to teach me a technique, a rare and awesome technique that will make everyone realize that I can be special, too, damn it!  
  
Yeah, that's the ticket! When Kakashi-sensei returns, first thing I'll do is ask him to teach me... uh... something cool... uh...  
_  
Sakura stopped writing, and she pursed her lips in thought, racking her brain for a technique so awesome and cool. Something special...  
  
No longer totally immersed within her diary entry, she was finally registering outside stimuli with her five senses once again. And now her ears wiggled at the sounds of a faucet running and porcelain clanking about inside a kitchen sink. Dish washing, it was. Her mother was washing the dishes downstairs.   
  
Sakura held up her head a bit longer, listening to the dishes clink and clank against each other. Then she lowered her head, and the pen furiously scratched:  
  
_ You know what, I'll think about it later! End of entry!_  
  
And with that, Sakura laid her pen down onto her desk and clapped her diary shut. Back under the mattress went the diary. And down the stairs Sakura went, feet stampeding against the floor boards as she made her way to the kitchen...  
  
"Hey mom, do you need any help with the dishes?"

CHAPTER ENDS

Notes: This chapter was a bit more descriptive than the talky-talky style that dominated my previous chapters. Or I hope it was, at least. The talky-talky style was mostly intentional, so that the reader would not exactly know what was going on inside the characters' minds. Especially Shino's mind, because frankly, who the hell knows what he's thinking anyway? However, in the upcoming chapters, I'm gonna dive into the characters' minds a bit more. Not too much, though, because I'm not good at that stuff yet... also, I'm not sure if sure if Anko was in the ANBU when she was younger (she would be 17 years old at the time she talked to kiddie-Shino, according to this chapter). But it seems reasonable enough that she would have been in the ANBU at one time or another... also, I do not know if Shino's mother was an actual ninja, or if she is dead, or whatever. But since we know barely anything about Shino, I took the liberty of creating some background information on him...

RESPONSES TO CHAPTER 4 REVIEWS:

mai-v: Yikes, you are DYING to know if it's Saku/Shino? Well, all I can say is... shoot, I'm not sure how much longer I can hold out...

ccslover: More action will come, of course. There will be one huge fight that will probably span a couple chapters minimum. There might also be a couple more skirmishes like the one in the previous chapter. And hope u feel better soon!

Tasha3: I'm glad to hear that you've gained some interest in Shino, because if the reader isn't interested in one of this story's protagonists, that's bad news for me as a writer!

love Kiba: Yeah, it was fun writing the Kiba/Shino interaction. And Shino is a stiff in other fics? Blasphemy! He's not a stiff, he's just... low-key...

Shino Bee: Yeah, my story starts off rather lighthearted, but now it will be more serious (sort of)... the ninja way? Haha...

Alden Hawke: You don't have to apologize for nothing, I wasn't offended, I was just wondering! I'm glad you're liking the story, too!

Dark Nemesis 7: Glad you liked it! And hope you have a happy holiday, too!

Liika: Uh, what was that? Come again? I guess you liked the chapter?

Izzy: I deleted your reviews, cuz they sure looked like spam to me. If they were not, sorry!


	6. The First Step

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters affiliated with Naruto. 

At the bottom of each chapter, there are responses to reviews from the previous chapter. After all, this story is written for the fans, it would be negligent of me to not respond!

CHAPTER BEGINS...

A new dawn has arrived, the sun peeking over the horizon to cast its soft benevolent light over the sleepy Village of the Leaf. Most of the village's citizens were still deep in slumber, but some were stirring inside their beds now...  
  
Quite a few villagers were already wide awake, actually. And one of those villagers happened to be Sakura Haruno, who was already skipping out of the door and onto the street. From a distance, she seemed to be just her normal self, dressed in her usual outfit. But from up close, one could see that, today, there was something different about her. The heightened allure of her darling cute face, the rosy cheeks accentuated by a delicate tinge of blush. And the soft pink hair which framed said face. The hair had an extra bounce now, and, with each lively step she took, the pastel pink locks danced along the fair skin of her enticingly fragile neck, teasing and beckoning to any man who cast an eye upon her. There was even a freshly-plucked daisy blossom on her head, adorning said hair and ensuring that everyone would notice the excruciating care she had taken while grooming herself today...  
  
Sakura did not look like this every day, of course. She liked to keep herself neat, but it really was a pain to doll herself up to this extent. However, today was a special day, and she had wanted to look especially nice...  
  
Because today, she was going to ask a special boy a special question.  
  
* * *  
  
"Aiieee! Hot, hot, hot!" Naruto howled in agony as he wiped away the sizzling grease from his throbbing finger. "Damn it, bacon is this much of a pain to cook?! No way!"  
  
The self-proclaimed future Hokage was standing in front of his kitchen's rarely used stovetop, and he was scowling angrily at the saucepan before him. The saucepan, filled with oil and bubbling bacon strips, crackled angrily right back at him - snap crackle pop! The pan viciously spat out another salvo of scorching grease, and Naruto squalled as several of the drops landed on his hands once again.  
  
"Aaargh!" Naruto clapped his legs together and jammed the wounded hands between the thighs, trying to smother away the pain. "All right, that does it!" He looked up and glared at the saucepan. "If this stupid thing splashes oil on me one more time - "  
  
Snap crackle pop! Naruto now had oil on his face.  
  
"Aaaugh!"  
  
* * *  
  
Five minutes later. The stove's blue gas flames were extinguished. A batch of badly burnt bacon was in the trash can. And a cup of steaming hot ramen was sitting on the table, accompanied by a grinning Naruto.   
  
"Bah, forget bacon and eggs and all that cooking stuff! Ramen is the only way to go!" He clasped his hands together in thankfulness. "Time to eat!"  
  
But then he paused. And he turned a wistful eye towards the trash can, where a thin wisp of smoke floated above. "Geez, who knew that cooking would be so difficult to do? I guess Iruka-sensei was right, it does take time and effort to learn how to prepare good food..."  
  
Iruka had been preaching to Naruto recently about the benefits of home-cooked food, about how a healthy diet promoted a healthy lifestyle and vigorous body. And just before Iruka had left for that emergency mission a few days ago, he had made Naruto promise that he would at least try to cook breakfast every day. "Remember this, Naruto! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The food you eat in the morning, that will be your source of energy later on. Not lunch. Not dinner. Not any of those mid-day snacks. Breakfast! Remember that!"  
  
Recalling those words, Naruto's face became tired and weary as he stared at his awaiting cup of ramen. Yeah, yeah, breakfast is important, blah blah... but still, he told himself, Iruka-sensei's advice was always sound. He should take those words to heart...  
  
He brightened up and said out loud, "All right, Iruka-sensei! Tomorrow! I promise that I will cook a real breakfast tomorrow! But today, I don't have time because I have to meet Jiraiya-sensei in half an hour! Sorry!" He then raised his chopsticks and prepared to dig in - the doorbell rang, rudely interrupting the intimate moment between the fox boy and his precious ramen. And he raised an eyebrow as he looked to the clock on the wall.  
  
Someone was knocking on his door at 6:30 in the morning?! Who else would be awake at this hour?! For a moment, he toyed with the idea of just ignoring the bell and continuing with his meal. But the door bell rang again, more insistently this time somehow, and he grumbled in frustration. There was no way he could eat with this racket going on. He would just have to answer the damned thing.  
  
He stuffed the wooden chopsticks into his mouth, stood up from the table, and marched towards the door, ready to shoo away whoever the hell this annoying early bird was. Managing to force out a grouchy greeting from between the lips tightly closed over his chopsticks, he called out: "Who is it?!"  
  
From behind the closed door: "Naruto! It's me, Sakura!"  
  
"Ptoooey!" Naruto promptly spat out the chopsticks from his mouth. Holy crap! Sakura-chan was here?! At his home?! At his doorstep?! There really WAS a first time for everything!  
  
His shock was then immediately replaced by total and complete panic. "Aaaaah! Aaaaaah!" He started to run in circles, desperately trying to think of what to say, how to greet her, what to say, how to greet her - oh crap, first things first! Hygiene! Had he brushed his teeth yet?! Yes, thank god! Did he comb his hair?! Yes, but he didn't do a very good job! What did it look like now?! He had no idea! Wait, mirror! He needed a mirror!  
  
Naruto stopped running in circles. Mirror. Bathroom. His bathroom had a mirror! "Uhhh, Sakura-chan, I'll be there in a minute, don't go anywhere, I swear, just one minute!" He then dashed towards his bathroom, leaping over the sofa in his way -  
  
"Augh!" His foot clipped the sofa in mid-air, and he crashed face-first onto the carpet. He was up in a flash, a fresh mark of carpet-burn on his face, and he screamed, "I'm okay, Sakura-chan, I'm okay, don't go anywhere, just one minute!"  
  
Sakura, patiently standing outside his door, wrinkled an eyebrow at the odd thump she had heard just now. Naruto, what a weirdo... she called out, "It's okay, Naruto! Take your time!"  
  
Another couple thumps and bumps, followed by another yowl of pain. Then the front door flew open, and he stabbed out his head to yell, "What's up, Sakura-chan?!"  
  
"Ewww! Naruto!"  
  
Naruto's carpet-burned face paled in horror as Sakura turned away to wipe off the fine spray of his spittle that had settled over her face. And he immediately stammered, "Sakura-chan, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to spit on you, I'm sorry - "  
  
Sakura suddenly turned around to bestow an angelic smile upon the groveling fox boy, her wonderful carnation hair swirling endlessly about her glowing rosy face, billowing in the nonexistent wind. The thick full eyelashes fluttered just once, drawing Naruto's attention to the sparkling emerald eyes which gazed upon him with an enchanting serenity. And her shiny glossy lips parted ever so slightly to greet him with a coy giggle: "Hee hee! Good morning, Naruto!"  
  
"Aaaah... aaaah..." Naruto could do nothing more than gape at the sight of Angel Sakura. His normally raucous voice was nothing more than a hoarse dwindled whisper, as he struggled to find words which could adequately express his reverence for this lovely goddess. His eyes were bulging, his heart was pounding, his skull was throbbing... "Sakura-chan... what... you doing... here..."  
  
She giggled once again, and she placed a slender shy finger upon her quivering lower lip. "Naruto, I was just wondering if you could..."  
  
Naruto had recovered from his temporary paralysis, and he was almost hyperventilating now. Oh my god, Sakura-chan liked him! She really liked him! She had finally realized that he was a billion times better than that sulky poopy head Sasuke, and she was here to announce her undying love for him - no, no, she would not be that bold. She was still a good and proper girl, after all, just one of the many things he loved about her, no, she was here to ask him if he could ask her out on a date - wait, did that make sense?! Naruto didn't know, he didn't care, all he knew was that his fantasies were finally about to come true -  
  
He eagerly exclaimed, "What is it, Sakura-chan?! What do you want me to do?! I can do it, I can do anything, I'd do anything for you, you know I would - "  
  
"Could you teach me how to perform the Kage Bunshin technique?"  
  
* * *  
  
"Whaaa?!" Naruto's jaw dropped to the ground, its owner not quite sure what was going on. "Why do you want me to teach you the Kage Bunshin?!"  
  
Sakura fluttered her eyelashes once again. "Well, Naruto, if I can do the Kage Bunshin, people will realize that I am a great ninja! Just like you!"  
  
"Just like me?!" The fox boy positively glowed from the flattery, so into himself that he didn't even notice the flirtatious eyelashes. "Yeah, I guess I am a great ninja, huh?! Heh hee! Heh hee - " Suddenly he stopped basking in his own glory. "Oh, but wait! Sakura-chan, are you sure you're strong enough to do the Kage Bunshin - "  
  
"NARUTO!" Angel Sakura promptly transformed into Fuming Demonic Sakura, as she hammered a fist onto the crown of the fox boy's skull. "Are you saying that you think I'm weak?!"  
  
The woozy Naruto was seeing bright stars and pretty little songbirds, as he unsteadily replied: "Far from it, Sakura-chan... I was just... you know... okay, I'll teach you..."  
  
Angel Sakura had returned, as she smiled brilliantly for his sake. "Wonderful! Thanks so much, Naruto, you're the best!"  
  
"No problem... I need an aspirin..." Naruto stumbled back into his house, as he called back, "Want to come in, Sakura-chan?"  
  
"Um, okay." She took her first step ever into his domicile, and it was a careful step, Sakura rather wary of the messy horrors which might be lurking around the corner. But much to her surprise, his home was rather clean, all things considered. An untidy pile of scrolls was in one corner of the room. A towering stack of cup ramen packages sat in the middle of the kitchen. A thoroughly worn and threadbare Kakashi-shaped punching bag was sprawled on the sofa. But other than that, no considerable mess in sight, save for a rather thick layer of dust on certain pieces of furniture.  
  
"Gee, your home is pretty neat, Naruto."  
  
Naruto had an aspirin in hand, and he was now downing it with the aid of some ramen soup. "Yeah, well, I don't spend much time at home, so I don't really get a chance to make a mess, you know!"  
  
"I see - " She sniffed the smoky air. "Is something burning?"  
  
"Oh, never mind that. Just some bad bacon!" Naruto looked to the clock. "Shoot, I have to meet with Jiraiya-sensei in half an hour!" He jumped into the middle of the room. "Sakura-chan, I'll teach you how to do Kage Bunshin right here, right now! It's so easy, you'll master it in a flash!"  
  
"Okay! I'm watching!"  
  
Sakura's fists balled by her sides, she eagerly looked on as Naruto's hands formed the familiar seal for Kage Bunshin. He then lectured: "Okay, first! You do this with your hands!"  
  
"Got it!" Sakura nodded as she mimicked Naruto's seal as best she could. "What's next?!"  
  
Still crouching with the seal formed, Naruto exclaimed, "Well, then you... you know... you kinda... uh... um... "  
  
She blinked at the faltering instructions. "What was that? Come again?"  
  
His brow creased in confusion from underneath his ninja forehead protector. "Well, you kinda push the chakra... or maybe pull it... and you focus it here... or maybe over there..."  
  
Sakura released her hands from the seal they were in. And she growled in a guttural voice: _"Naruto..."_  
  
He nervously tittered, "Yes, Sakura-chan?"  
  
She bellowed, "You don't even know what you're doing when you perform the Kage Bunshin, do you?!"  
  
"Aaagh!" Naruto automatically shied away, afraid of another fist to his head. "That's not true! I know what I'm doing!" He hesitated now. "Well, I sort of know what I'm doing... um... at least I used to know what I was doing - "  
  
"WHAT THE HELL, NARUTO! How can you perform the Kage Bunshin, then?!"  
  
"I dunno, it's kinda like riding a bicycle, Sakura-chan! Once you learn how to do it, you never forget!"  
  
Sakura glowered at the shivering Naruto, and for a moment, his life flashed before his eyes. However, the girl's shoulders then sagged in defeat, and she sighed. "Naruto, are you saying that you don't remember ANY of the instructions from that scroll?"  
  
"Uh, not really." He sheepishly scratched his bush of blond hair. "You don't understand, Sakura-chan, the instructions were really long and complicated!"  
  
"I see." All of the life had been sucked out of Sakura, the kuniochi little more than a ghastly white corpse of manic depression. No longer even possessing the energy to whack her idiot teammate over the head, she turned around and shuffled for the door. "Bye, Naruto. I'll be going home now - "  
  
Inspiration struck Naruto upside the head, and he shouted, "Wait, Sakura-chan, I have an idea!"  
  
A deadened reply, as she didn't even bother to look back: "What?"  
  
"I may not be able to teach you, but I know someone who can!"  
  
A glimmer of hope in Sakura's eyes. "You do?"  
  
* * *  
  
Jiraiya the Frog Hermit was many things... a world-renowned warrior of unfathomable power and skill... a proud member of the Legendary Three... master of the almighty toad demon Gamabunta... but first and foremost, he was...  
  
A peeping tom extraordinaire.  
  
"Oooo hoo hoo hoo!" Jiraiya rubbed his hands in glee as he squatted by the fence surrounding a hot springs facility. His right eye was glued to a sizable knothole in the pine boards, and it was struggling to absorb every single lovely sight before him (at times like these, he wished that he had the Byakugan). "Oh boy, oh boy, there's some prime meat in here today! Whoa, momma, those are some really big - "  
  
"JIRAIYA-SENSEI!"  
  
The Frog Hermit rolled his eyes at the furious voice, and he turned around to wave away his disciple. "In a minute, Naruto, I'm busy - oh?"  
  
For a moment, Jiraiya's eyes gleamed at the sight of a cute girl next to Naruto. But then the gleam was snuffed out by the realization that she was just that: a cute little girl. Woefully underdeveloped. Not a full-fledged woman, by any means. Perhaps in a few years, she would be a bodacious babe with a steamy body. But in her present state? Hah, yeah right... and come to think of it, her forehead was a tad on the big side, too...  
  
He held up a finger. "In a minute, Naruto - "  
  
Naruto screamed, "Jiraiya-sensei, have you no shame?! You're doing this in front of a girl! You pervert, don't make me rat you out to Tsunade-sama!"  
  
Jiraiya winced at that. "You would tattle-tale on your own mentor?!"  
  
"If you keep doing this in front of Sakura-chan, damn right I will!"  
  
"Sakura-chan?" Jiraiya stood up now to eye the red-faced girl. "That name is familiar... hey, you. You are Naruto's teammate, yes?"  
  
Outer Sakura was mortified by the shamelessness of this sexual deviant, and she averted her eyes, stammering, "Yes - yes, I am..."  
  
Meanwhile, Inner Sakura was huddled inside a corner of her mind, curled up in a protective ball, and screaming in terror: "Oh my god, this pervert is actually looking at me! Oh my god, he's looking right at me, he is UNDRESSING me with those disgusting eyes, oh my god, get him away from me, get him away from me! Naruto, Naruto, NARUTO! I will NEVER forgive you, how DARE you bring me to this revolting lecher, aiiieeeeee, this pervert is trying to talk to me, leave me alone, just LEAVE ME ALONE, don't come any closer, aiiiieeee!"  
  
Outer Sakura finally realized that Naruto and Jiraiya were talking to each other, and her ears tuned into their conversation...  
  
"But Jiraiya-sensei, why can't you teach her how to do the Kage Bunshin?! It won't take that long, will it?!"  
  
"Naruto, I've told you time and time again. I don't waste my time with weaklings."  
  
Sakura's eyes bulged in fury at that offhanded comment. And Inner Sakura suddenly released from her fetal position, shooting up to her feet with a roar: "What did that pervert say?!"  
  
"Hmm? What's this?" Jiraiya now sensed a surprisingly strong intent to kill from the girl beside Naruto, and he chuckled as he stroked a finger against his chin. "Interesting. Her spirit is more formidable than I anticipated."  
  
Naruto shouted, "You see, Jiraiya-sensei?! Sakura-chan is strong! She just needs a chance to prove it!"  
  
"A chance, eh?" The Frog Hermit was still staring intently at the girl. Even though her face was hopelessly warped in hatred, as she choked upon the murderous fury welling up inside her, the undeniable beauty still shone from beneath... hmm, perhaps he could gain something from this...  
  
Jiraiya asked, "Do you have any older sisters?"  
  
Sakura's hostility was replaced by confusion. "Huh?"  
  
"Do you have any older sisters? Say, around the age of 18?"  
  
"Uh, no. I don't have any sisters - OH MY GOD!" Sakura blew her top at the outrageous question. "Are you saying that you won't teach me unless I hook you up with a date?!"  
  
"Not just any date. A hot date!"  
  
"OH MY GOD, Naruto, I REFUSE to learn anything from this perverted geezer, I don't care if he's the greatest ninja in the world! I don't want him to speak to me, I don't want him anywhere NEAR me - "  
  
Naruto interrupted, "Wait, Sakura-chan! I have an idea!" He took a deep breath now, preparing himself for the ultimate sacrifice. And he thrust out a finger towards his mentor. "Jiraiya-sensei!"  
  
"Hmm?" The Frog Hermit looked to the determined Naruto. "What is it?"  
  
"If you teach the Kage Bunshin to Sakura-chan, I will... I will... I will do the Sexy No Jutsu for you!"  
  
Jiraiya's eyes widened in joy, and he promptly hollered, "We have a deal - " He suddenly stopped talking, and he let out a fake cough, struggling to subdue his excitement. "Well, well, my boy, your words are quite convincing... but... your words would be even more convincing if you..."  
  
Naruto shouted in disbelief: "What?! Right now?!"  
  
A gleam in Jiraiya's eye. "Yes! Right now."  
  
Sakura was a step behind in the thought process, ignorant of the unspoken agreement that had just been settled. "Wait, what's going on - "  
  
"Sexy no jutsu!"  
  
"Aaaugh!" Sakura recoiled in revulsion at the sight of Girly Naruto, who was stark naked save for a pair of strategically-placed clouds. "Naruto, what are you doing?! How dare you do this technique in front of me?!"  
  
Girly Naruto pleaded in a decidedly breathy and sultry voice: "But Sakura-chan! I'm doing this for you!"  
  
"Oh." Sakura blinked. Geez, she had almost forgotten about that... her roiled face softened, and she offered a warm smile. "Thanks, Naruto."  
  
Girly Naruto's face turned red, and she made a perfect little "O" with her mouth at the sight of Sakura's smile. Wow, Sakura was so cute when she smiled like that...  
  
Sakura's smile then twisted into a more familiar scowl. "But you know what, Naruto? I still don't want that pervert teaching me! If I train with him, he might try to touch me or something!"  
  
"Eeee hee hee hee!" Jiraiya was doing a little jig of jubilation. "Sexy girl, sexy girl..." He then composed himself, as he plopped his butt onto the ground. "Don't worry, Sakura. I don't want to spend any time teaching you the Kage Bunshin technique, either. However..." He produced a calligraphy brush and a blank scroll from out of nowhere. "However, I suppose I can write down the instructions for you. Really, this way would be better, because you can just refer to the scroll whenever you are training by yourself."  
  
"Oh." Sakura blinked at that. "Thank you, then, Jiraiya-san."  
  
"Not a problem," said the Frog Hermit as he spread the scroll out in front of him. He then bit his tongue in concentration, and the brush began to blur with amazing speed... and for a few moments, Sakura watched in amazement as Jiraiya rapidly filled up the blank parchment in front of him...  
  
Girly Naruto was grinning, arms tucked behind her head as her breathy voice took on a rather obnoxious tone: "See, Sakura-chan?! Jiraiya-sensei isn't that bad of a guy!"  
  
"Yeah, I guess..."  
  
Sakura turned to look up and down Girly Naruto for a moment. Then Inner Sakura grumbled, "Damn it, I can't believe this! Girly Naruto's body is better than mine!"  
  
* * *  
  
In maybe two minutes, Jiraiya had filled up virtually the entire scroll with his handwriting. And with a flourish, he flicked away the finishing touches on the instructions. "Finally! Done!" The scroll rolled itself up into a tight bundle, and Jiraiya handed it to Sakura. "Here you go."  
  
Sakura took great care to make sure that, during the transfer, her hand did not touch his. "Thank you, Jiraiya-san."  
  
Girly Naruto sighed in relief. "Phew, finally!" A puff of smoke, and Naruto was back to his normal form. "There! Everyone's happy now, right?!"  
  
"More or less." Sakura was just glad that Jiraiya hadn't tried to grope her yet.  
  
"I am satisfied," said Jiraiya. "Although..." He turned to Sakura again. "So, you don't have any older sisters, eh?"  
  
She flatly replied, "That's right."  
  
"Hmm, pity... say, how old is your mother?"  
  
"WHY YOU!"  
  
Naruto struggled to hold back the frothing rabid wolverine formerly known as Sakura. "Sakura-chan, stop! Please, he didn't mean to offend you, he just can't help himself!"  
  
* * *  
  
Half an hour later, a still-fuming Sakura was stomping alone down the road, scroll in hand. "I swear, if that hideous creep ever tries to make a move on my mom, I will rip his nuts off!"  
  
Normally, that was something which only Inner Sakura would say. But since Outer Sakura was the one saying it, it meant that Sakura was truly pissed off, indeed. As a matter of fact, her anger was so blinding, she didn't even notice that her crazed rants were scaring away the passersby on the road with her. Until a pair of young men appeared on the horizon...  
  
"Oi, oi! What's up, Sakura?"  
  
Kiba and Shino were walking side by side, but they drew to a halt now as Sakura walked straight at them, her head bowed to the ground. Kiba blinked at her non-responsiveness, and he called out, "Oi, Sakura, you okay?!"  
  
Akamaru, perched on top of Kiba's head, also barked in concern: "Arf?"  
  
"Huh?!" Sakura stopped in her tracks, and she raised her head to reveal a pair of wrathful bloodshot eyes. And she snarled in a harsh inhuman voice: _"What do you want?!"_  
  
Both Shino and Kiba took an involuntary step backwards, while Akamaru whined in terror and hid himself inside Kiba's jacket. Shino then said, "Sakura-san, what's the matter?"  
  
The now-familiar calm tone of Shino's voice, it seemed to soothe the savage beast inside her. The bloodshot eyes returned to their normal sea-green, and Sakura sighed, "Don't worry, Shino-san, I'm just having a stressful day." She then remembered the scroll in her hand, and she gave it a reassuring squeeze. "But all in all, so far my day hasn't been too bad. What's up with you guys?"  
  
Kiba announced, "We're going to train, that's what's up!" He paused. "Say, you wanna join us?!"  
  
Sakura shook her head. "Sorry, but I think I'm going to train by myself for a while." A crafty smile surfaced upon her lips. "I've got my own super-secret technique to practice now!"  
  
Shino said with a solemn nod: "That is good to hear."  
  
Meanwhile, Kiba seemed rather skeptical: "Really?"  
  
Sakura scowled at the unconvinced dog boy. "Yes. Really." She then retorted, "Why would you want me to train with you, anyway?! You think I'm weak, don't you?"  
  
"Huh?!" Kiba blinked, then turned to Shino. "What the hell, you idiot! What did you tell her yesterday?!"  
  
Shino stared straight ahead, unruffled by the deafening point-blank screams. "I told her what you thought of her, that's all."  
  
"You dumb ass! Stuff like that, we keep INSIDE the team! Never tell those things to anyone on the outside, got it?!"  
  
"I am sorry, Kiba. However, Sakura-san did ask me how you felt about her, and I did not wish to lie to her."  
  
"God, what kind of teammate are you, anyway - wait a minute." Kiba finally remembered something. "Say, wasn't Sakura supposed to help you hook up with Ino?"  
  
Shino scrunched his face at that, and he simply shrugged. But the reluctant silence only served to spur on Kiba, as the dog boy howled, "That's right, I totally forgot about that! Shino and Ino sitting in a tree!" He looked to Sakura now. "So, what's the story?! Is Shino still too chicken to ask out Ino?!"  
  
"Well, to tell you the truth, I haven't given it much thought lately." Sakura looked to the bug boy now. "Shino-san, do you think you're ready to ask Ino yet?"  
  
"Not really."  
  
"Hmmm..." She looked over the bug boy once again. "You know what, you're right. We need to make a few more changes before you make your move on her."  
  
Shino raised an eyebrow. "We do?"  
  
"Shino-san, I hate to say this, but we definitely need to talk about your clothes."  
  
"My clothes?" Shino showed his first signs of concern, as he slightly tilted his head forward, struggling to look down at himself from behind his coat's upturned collar. "What's wrong with my clothes?"  
  
"Nothing's wrong with them! But..." She now shook her scroll at Shino. "If you REALLY want to impress Ino, you should dress in something a little more sporty. Dress for the occasion, you know?"  
  
"Mmm. I see. Dress to impress."  
  
"That's the idea!" Sakura nodded importantly now. "So, what other clothes do you have, Shino-san?"  
  
A moment of silence, then: "I have some shorts and T-shirts."  
  
"Ah, I see. Do they look any sportier than the ones you're wearing right now?"  
  
"No. They are the same brand."  
  
"Okay, how about slacks? Or maybe khakis?"  
  
"I have none."  
  
"Um, okay. What sort of pants do you have, then?"  
  
"I have none."  
  
Uh oh, Sakura thought to herself. This did not sound promising at all. "What about coats and jackets?"  
  
"This is my only coat." He then added, for the sake of any concerns she might have about hygiene: "I have it dry-cleaned every week."  
  
Oh dearie me. "Ok, Shino-san, I'm sorry to say this, but you definitely need to update your clothing lineup. Your current clothes are okay, but they just don't have that edge about them, you know? They don't grab a girl's attention, they don't make a girl say 'Wow, he looks sharp today!' "  
  
"Mmm. Sharp." He nodded. "I see. Would you recommend that I go shopping, then?"  
  
"I would definitely recommend that, Shino-san! And don't just limit yourself to pants or shirts or whatever. Buy a whole matching outfit, if you have to!"  
  
Shino seemed to be in deep thought now. "Mmm, I see..." He nodded with resolve now. "I have decided, Sakura-san. After I am done training with Kiba, I will go shopping later today."  
  
Sakura clapped her hands in delight. "Excellent! I can't wait to see what you get!" She paused now. "Are you doing anything tomorrow afternoon, Shino-san?"  
  
"Yes, I am. But I should be free in the early evening."  
  
"Okay, then. Can you meet me in front of Ichiraku Ramen at around, say, five o'clock?"  
  
"I can do that."  
  
"Great! Bring your new clothes with you, so you can show them to me. Then I will pick out the clothes that Ino will probably like the most, and we will go from there! Sound like a plan to you?"  
  
"Sounds like a plan to me."  
  
Kiba was jumping around in excitement now. "So, after Shino gets some new clothes, he's gonna ask out Ino?!"  
  
Sakura was getting annoyed by the dog boy's nosiness, and she said rather curtly, "Possibly. Why do you ask?"  
  
"Just wondering, hoo hoo hoo! This is gonna be so much fun, hey Shino! I'll bet you ten dollars that Ino throws your flowers back into your face!"  
  
Shino was indifferent to Kiba's antics, as usual. But an irate Sakura rose to the defense of Shino, anyway: "Geez, Kiba, you're so annoying! At least Shino is going to ask out a girl! How about you, I'll bet you've never asked out a girl before!"  
  
"Me?! Ask out a girl?! Yeah right!" Kiba grinned like the wolf that he was. "Girls got cooties, I don't want nothing to do with them!"  
  
An aura of skepticism was oozing from Sakura now. "You're saying that you don't like girls?"  
  
"That's right! Can't stand them!"  
  
"I see..." Sakura turned to Shino. "Shino-san, is Kiba telling the truth?"  
  
"No."  
  
"HEY!" Kiba suddenly blanched in terror. "Shino, what are you doing?!"  
  
Sakura quickly said, "Who does he like then, Shino-san? Tell me!"  
  
"Well, once he did say something about Hinata - "  
  
A beet-red Kiba clapped a paw over the mouth of Shino. "Hey Sakura, we gotta go now, talk to you later, hee hee, bye bye!" And without further ado, Kiba unceremoniously started to drag away the stolid bug boy, hand still over mouth...  
  
Sakura laughed as she waved goodbye. "Don't worry, Kiba, I won't tell a living soul!"  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about!"  
  
"Uh huh, sure." She then waved to Shino. "Remember, Shino-san! Tomorrow at five, Ichiraku Ramen!"  
  
Shino was unable to say goodbye, due to the hand over his mouth, so he simply nodded and raised a hand in farewell. Then Kiba, with Shino in tow, vanished around the corner, leaving behind an almost giddy Sakura. Those guys, she thought to herself with a smile. Those two were so much fun, even though Kiba was on the annoying side. Ah yes, thanks to them, she was in quite the chipper mood now, especially after that strenuous encounter with the super-pervert...  
  
But it had been worth it, risking her virgin unspoiled body like so. This scroll in her hand, this was going to be the first step down the path of her own ninja way. She was no longer satisfied with being a decent ninja, or even a good ninja. No, she was going to be a great ninja!  
  
"No," she corrected herself once again, as her daydreaming turned into a runaway train. "I am not going to be just a great ninja. I am going to become the next Hokage! Yes, just like Tsunade-sama! Beautiful, strong, smart! And I'll beat down Naruto whenever he challenges me for the position of Hokage, too!" She giggled uncontrollably within herself. Wow, that would be so much fun if she could accomplish all that! Boy, if she ever became Hokage... just the mere sight of Naruto's face during her inauguration, that would make it all worthwhile ten times over.  
  
Then she tried to calm herself down, as she now started to walk towards the direction of the nearest training area. "One step at a time, Sakura. One step at a time..."  
  
But her eagerness gets the better of her, and her walk quickly speeds up to an all-out run. And as she sprints through the neighborhood, hair and skirt streaming behind her like a flag carried into battle by charging cavalry, Inner Sakura shouts with a fist in the air: "Hell yeah, damn it! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, you are MINE!"

CHAPTER ENDS

Notes: Oh my god, Shino is going SHOPPING. Makes you wonder what he will buy in the next chapter, eh?... okay, I know I said that I was going to cut down on the back-n-forth conversational writing style, but I kinda got sidetracked on this chapter, hehe. It was too much fun writing the dialogue for Naruto/Jiraiya and Shino/Kiba... however, action fans, rest assured! Sakura will soon be training, and the buildup to the big-time fight will soon begin. Plus, the debuts of Sasuke and Ino are coming up soon! Oh man, there is so much more story to tell...

RESPONSES TO CHAPTER 5 REVIEWS:

Chelsey-Chan: I'm glad you found my fic, too! And yes, I'd imagine that Sakura would want to get stronger. She's not uber-ambitious like Naruto or Sasuke, but I'd think that almost anyone in her situation, when being overshadowed like she is, would be motivated to improve herself. The manga hasn't done jack with her lately, too! Kinda giving her the shaft, geez. And thanks for the fluff definition!

Alden Hawke: Yeah, for me, Sakura's a pretty fun char to write, especially Inner Sakura. And Shino is bomb, of course. And Kiba/Hinata? That would be cute, but I seriously doubt I'll address that possible relationship in this fic... too much of a tangent...

Tasha3: Yeah, that last chapter was kinda talkative still, huh? And yeah, I'm trying to build up a plot. I think it's stupid when a story starts off, and two people immediately start fighting for no reason, or two people start loving each other for no reason. A good story needs buildup!

mai-v: Wow, so many people like Inner Sakura! No surprise, really. I think Inner Sakura is a riot, too! 

ccs_lover: Yes, Sakura did write a lot in her entry. She seems like a thorough person who would write so much detailed stuff, though... and yes, any couple involving Shino is rare, not just Saku/Shino, hehe!

Liika: Yeah, I figured your previous review was cut off or something,,, glad you liked the chapter!

Katsuhito Sage: Don't worry, as you can see, Sakura will start her training very soon now! And I'm glad you liked the story!

Alucard Crimson: Wow, glad you like the story so far! And it sounds like you're a hardcore Shino fan, too. Yeah, Shino is too cool for school... although I dunno about Shika+Shino, hehe. I'm just not a yaoi type of guy.

Koyoru: Glad you like the fic! And another Shino fan?! Man, Shino fans are swarming out of nowhere!

Kagami no Koe: Glad you think this fic is cute!

Dark Nemesis 7: Glad you liked it!


	7. Playing With Fire

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters affiliated with Naruto.  
  
At the bottom of each chapter, there are responses to reviews from the previous chapter. After all, this story is written for the fans, it would be negligent of me to not respond!  
  
CHAPTER BEGINS..  
  
A female roar of frustration echoes throughout the eastern side of Konoha Village..  
  
"Aaarrrrrrrrrrrrr!"  
  
* * *  
  
A rather sweaty and smelly Sakura sat down, half-stumbling and half-collapsing onto the ground of Training Area #1, landing none too gently on her rear end. Thankfully, the earth was soft and forgiving, and her buttbone did not register any semblance of pain, although her spine was jolted a bit by the shock. She did not notice any of it, however, as one thought completely dominated the interior of her noggin:  
  
"There's no way Naruto mastered this technique in one day! He has to be lying!"  
  
But she knew that Naruto was not the type to fib. As a matter of fact, his blunt frankness was both one of his greatest strengths, and one of his worst drawbacks. So therefore, she held up the open scroll before her face one last time, poring over the text for any detail, minor or major, which she might have missed. But as she searched, she already knew the answer. She had not missed any details. She was just not able to perform the Kage Bunshin yet. Damn it all to heck!  
  
With one hand, Sakura put down her newest prized possession, the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu scroll which Jiraiya-san had written for her. And with the other hand, she picked up a quart-sized bottle of fruit punch Gatorade. It was already pretty much empty, so she had to tilt it to a drastic angle just to coax out what little thirst-quenching fluid she could. But it's ok, she told herself as she swished around the last of the sugar water inside her mouth, enjoying the smooth and subtle flavor. It was almost five o'clock, the arranged meeting time between her and Shino-san. She would have to leave soon, anyway.  
  
For a moment, she allowed herself to be distracted from her task at hand, as she wondered about what sort of clothing Shino had picked out. He seemed to be a guy with decent taste, and she had clearly dictated for him to pick out "sharp" clothing that had an "edge" to it. Unfortunately, a little goblin was dancing around in the back of her head, cackling at her faith in Shino's choice of clothing -  
  
Inner Sakura shouted, "Shut yo trap!", as she squished the little goblin with an overhead fist. "I don't have time for this crap, I got myself a technique to master!"  
  
Outer Sakura nodded with determination as she stood up. Yes, she would worry about Shino's clothing later. Besides, he seemed like a responsible guy who would hold onto his receipts; she could just make him return the clothing in case he had bought nothing but, say, suspenders, tweed coats, orange jumpsuits, and/or ivy green bodysuits.  
  
She pounded a fist into an open hand, as she growled, "Okay, one more try, and I call it a day. Let's make this one count, Sakura!"  
  
Her head lolled about, stretching and relaxing her neck as she turned to face the setting sun over the faraway hills. And as her head wobbled about like that of a kuniochi bobble-head doll, she rapidly reviewed the Kage Bunshin inside her mind..  
  
Kage Bunshin requires that the user funnel her chakra in an extraordinarily complicated manner, a manner where she simultaneously uses both brute force and delicacy to distribute a massive amount of chakra equally throughout the enitre body. And although Sakura's chakra control is superior, her chakra stamina is not. Therefore, per attempt, she had been trying to create only one Shadow clone, for the sake of not wasting chakra. But since this was her last attempt, she might as well go out with a blaze of glory! This time, she would try to create two clones!  
  
She was done working out the kinks in her neck. With a yell, she drew herself taut as she assumed a moderately shallow horse stance, her feet parallel and pointing straight forward at almost two shoulders' widths apart. Hands resting loosely by her side, she wriggled her fingers as she slowly inhaled a deep breath, hard staring eyes seeing nothing as she focused on preparing herself for her umpteenth attempt at Kage Bunshin.  
  
It is time! With a tight grunt escaping from her throat, her hands whip upwards to her chest, and their fingers stab into each other, set in the proper seal. She then ferociously scowls at the sunset, and she shouts, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"  
  
Within her, the dam bursts, and chakra explodes outward - poof poof! She barely has time to evaluate whether the chakra distribution was proper or not, before two Sakura clones appear next to her, one on each side..  
  
* * *  
  
As soon as she gained her bearings, however, the real Sakura could already tell that this attempt was a failure, like all the previous ones. The chakra release had felt too much like the normal Bunshin no Jutsu, where only illusions are created, not actual physical clones. To confirm her conclusion, she reached out to poke one of the Sakura clones in the forehead. And her finger passed right through the intangible phantasm's charmingly wide forehead (or so she wished), penetrating all the way up to the second knuckle.   
  
While the Sakura clone looked up at the finger on her forehead, the real Sakura was pissed off. Tired, sweaty, smelly, and pissed off. "Damn it all to hell!" She turned around to test the other clone's forehead with a probing finger, and the results were the same: a mere illusion.  
  
"Gah!" Her clones vaporized into smoke as she dropped onto her rear end again. Legs sprawled out before her, she was too tired to do anything except lean back and stare vacantly up at the sky. What the hell was she doing wrong -  
  
"Sakura-san."  
  
"Ack!" The sudden voice startled her, and she was up on her feet in a jiffy. But much to her relief, it was only Shino standing by her empty Gatorade bottle and scroll, not some foreign ANBU nin dashing over to cut her throat. She sighed in relief, already plunking her rear end back down onto the ground. "Oh, hey Shino-san, how are you doing?"  
  
Face hidden behind that coat and those shades, as usual. "I am fine. You?"  
  
"Okay, I guess. Pooped out to hell, though." A pause, then she blinked. "What are you doing here? I thought we were supposed to meet in front of Ichiraku Ramen."  
  
"I was on my way there, but I heard you shouting. So I followed your voice instead, in case you were in trouble."  
  
"You could hear my voice?!" She then ahhh'd in comprehension. "Oh wait, I get it. You must have been using that secret listening ninjutsu of yours, huh?"  
  
"No, I was not. You just happen to have a very loud voice, that's all."  
  
She blurted quite loudly: "Really?!"  
  
"I think the entire eastern half of the village heard your shout."  
  
"Oh, I see... hey, was that a joke?"  
  
Somehow he seemed to shrug, even though he remained motionless. "More or less."  
  
She sat there for a moment, gauging the degree of amusement which had been generated by his "joke". Then she concluded with a tired grin: "Hah! Not bad! Keep it up, Shino-san!"  
  
"No problem." He scanned the training area's clearing now, his head swiveling about so smoothly and evenly, his movement seemed more mechanical than human. "Sakura-san, you should not be training here alone. It is not safe."  
  
"You really think so?" Still sitting, she pulled her legs up against herself now, and she hugged them as she rested her chin on her knees. Forehead and all, she nodded to the village buildings merely twenty yards away. "I picked this area because it is right next to the village. I don't think those guerilla enemies will strike this close to home."  
  
"Hmm. True. But one can never be too sure." Shino's head tilted down towards the scroll spread out on the ground. "What is this technique you are practicing?"  
  
Sakura paled in apprehension as his straying eyes wandered over the scroll. "Ack, Shino-san, don't look! It's a secret - "  
  
"Kage Bunshin?" Shino's low deadpan voice was no more, elevated half an octave due to the curiosity factor. "You are practicing Kage Bunshin?"  
  
"Ssshh!" Sakura had somehow teleported to his side, and she had a frantic finger up to her lips. "Don't tell anyone about this, okay?! Keep it a secret!"  
  
"No problem."  
  
His response of merely two words was not enough to pacify her anxiety. "Shino-san, I don't think you understand, you can't tell this to ANYONE! Okay?!"  
  
"I understand."  
  
Her anxiety was still not wholly pacified, but his total response of four words would have to do, she supposed, lest she risk being bothersome and naggy. "Okay, thanks, Shino-san!"  
  
"No problem."  
  
His head was still tilted down, and he was apparently reading the scroll at his feet. She was not quite sure, though, since she could not see his eyes behind the glasses; for all she knew, he could be scrutinizing their shoes or something along those lines. But as it turned out, her initial impression was correct, as he voiced an observation:  
  
"These instructions are incredibly complicated."  
  
"Yeah they are, huh?" She then paused. "You know, I got mad at Naruto yesterday because he couldn't remember the instructions while he was trying to teach me.. but really, it wasn't his fault, now that I think about it. Anyone would have a hard time remembering all this stuff, let alone a guy like him."  
  
"Mmm." Shino nodded as he continued to read. "This is rather interesting. It demands chakra manipulation which I have never attempted before."  
  
"You want to learn this technique too, then? I can lend the scroll to you after I'm done with it."  
  
"I appreciate the offer, but maybe later. I am currently attempting to master a different technique."  
  
"Oooh really? Which one?"  
  
"A ninja never reveals his secrets."  
  
Outer Sakura blinked at the rebuff. "Oh, okay.." Meanwhile, Inner Sakura was tearing out her hair as she bellowed, "Damn it, he never tells me anything about his techniques! All he does is blab that secretive mumbo jumbo!"  
  
Then Sakura suddenly realized out loud: "Hey, that's not fair! You found out about my Kage Bunshin, but you still won't tell me what you're practicing?!" She placed her hands on hips. "Honestly, Shino-san, you could at least give me a hint."  
  
She tried to stare him down as best as she could, which was difficult since she was the shorter person by far. But Shino refused to make eye contact, as he look away to the training area's clearing. He wore a thoughtful look on his face now, apparently contemplating the pros and cons of revealing his secrets..  
  
He then said, "So, have you mastered the Kage Bunshin yet?"  
  
Inner Sakura screamed in frustration as she repeatedly banged her head against a wall: "Damn it, he's changing the subject on me!" Meanwhile, Outer Sakura was sheepishly shaking her head. "No, not yet.. but I've only practiced for a day now, so I'm not discouraged by any means!"  
  
"That's good."  
  
"Yeah, I really feel like I'm making progress, too. But I keep doing that stupid regular Bunshin instead of Kage Bunshin, damn it. Worthless afterimage clones!"  
  
Shino did not respond to her whining, as he was scanning the scroll once again. He then asked, "Have you been practicing any other techniques lately, Sakura-san?"  
  
She suddenly became inexplicably bashful, as she toed the ground before her. "Well.. sort of.."  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
Shino's innocent grunt was unimposing, giving Sakura the room to freely decline or accept his question. And after wrestling with herself for a moment, she decided that his curiosity was only casual; therefore, if she told him, he would definitely not make fun of her. So she said:  
  
"Well, before I started practicing Kage Bunshin, I had been practicing Katon Goukakyuu for the longest time.." (= great fireball)  
  
Shino's eyebrows raised at the mention of the Chuunin-level fire-based technique. "Interesting. Isn't that a technique which Sasuke Uchiha uses - "  
  
"Ssshh! Ssshhhhhh!" Sakura had a finger up to her lips, and she was shooshing him so zealously, her face was turning dangerously purple. "Keep your voice down! Someone might hear!"  
  
Shino took a moment to look around at the very empty clearing around them, confirming that they were, indeed, very much alone. But he said anyway, "I apologize. I will be more quiet."  
  
"Shino-san, WHATEVER you do, even if someone is torturing and interrogating you, you cannot tell anyone about this! Because I don't want Sasuke-kun to know about it until I'm ready!"  
  
"Hmm?" He raised an eyebrow at that. "Why keep it a secret from Sasuke?"  
  
A beam of excitement from her now. "Because when he comes back to the village, I want to surprise him! He will be so happy when he finds out that I've mastered one of his techniques!"  
  
"I see. So you have mastered it already."  
  
Her smile drooped to downturned crestfallen lips, and the air of levity about her became perceptively dampened. "Actually, no. I haven't even been able to master that technique, let alone Kage Bunshin.. I guess I need to train more."  
  
"Perhaps. However, you do look like you've been training a lot today."  
  
"I do, huh?" Sakura reached up to wipe semi-clean her sweaty and dusty brow. "Well, I do train every day, but I never did push myself to the extreme like I did today - "  
  
Shino actually interrupted her, for once. "Sakura-san, have you tried to perform the Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu today?"  
  
"No. Why do you ask?"  
  
"Just curious." He cocked his head now to the side. "You know, perhaps you should try it right now."  
  
"Huh?!" Odd request, she said to herself. "Why now? I'll just fail again."  
  
A cryptic gleam passed over the lenses of his sunglasses. "You never know, Sakura-san."  
  
"Huh? What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean, the results might be surprising."  
  
She grumbled at that. Damn Shino, did he ALWAYS have to be mysterious and freaking hide everything? "Oh fine, whatever, I'll give it a shot." She yawned as, with an air of indifference, her hands started to dance with each other. Seal one, two, three..  
  
Shino's eyebrows suddenly furrowed in consternation upon the realization that she was facing directly towards him. And his voice was urgent, as he started to back away: "Sakura-san, perhaps you should - "  
  
Sakura wasn't paying attention to him: "Blah blah, Uma, Tora - " (Horse, Tiger)  
  
Shino was still talking to her: " - turn around before you do the jutsu - "  
  
Sakura was still not listening to him. Her seals done, she then stated in a lackadaisical monotone: "Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu." And she blew out with her mouth, all the while thinking, "Geez, why am I even doing this, Shino is such a weirdo - "  
  
FWOOSH!  
  
Her eyes popped out of their sockets as a huge spout of fiery orange flame belched out of her lips. What the hell?! She was actually doing it?!  
  
A few brief seconds passed, but it seemed like an eternity to the dumbfounded Sakura, as she wondered to herself, "Is this a dream?!" But nope, it was real. The fire was still there before her, still going strong. Undoubtedly authentic and dangerously hot. Holy cow. She had done it. She had pulled it off!  
  
Sakura was too shocked, really, to actually appreciate her success. So she simply stood there, gaping dumbfoundedly at the blaze gushing from her mouth. But how did Shino-san know that she would be able to do it -  
  
Oh crap! Shino-san! She was aiming her fireball right where he had been just a moment ago! Oh crap oh crap, she couldn't see anything because the fire was obstructing her field of vision, oh crap oh crap oh crap!  
  
The kuniochi immediately cut off her jutsu, and now she was confronted by a large looming cloud of ashen smoke, with neither sound nor sight of the bug boy. She cupped her hands in front of her mouth, and she hollered into the smoke: "Shino-san! SHINO-SAN! Are you okay?! Speak to me - "  
  
A rather weak and bewildered voice: "Ouch."  
  
"Shino-san!"  
  
Pure unadulterated relief washed through her as the smoke cleared to reveal Shino a small distance away, flat on his back and lying on the ground. His entire body, clothing and skin, was lightly singed. His face was covered with soot. And his hair was oozing smoke. But at least he seemed unharmed for the most part, if not severely rattled.  
  
"Shino-san!" Sakura was already by his side, fretting over him like an anxious mother would over a toddler who had just skinned his knee on the sidewalk. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry, I didn't think that I would be able to do it, you were right, I should have aimed the technique somewhere else, come on, speak to me, Shino-san! Shino-san, if you see a light at the end of the tunnel, whatever you do, don't walk towards the light, okay?! Don't walk towards the light - "  
  
Shino abruptly sat up, his voice already returning back to its normal deadpan. "I am fine, Sakura-san. No need to worry. I was already moving away before you started the jutsu, therefore the damage was not serious." But apparently even he was not convinced, because his hands were now patting down his entire body, making sure that he was, indeed, unharmed.  
  
The signs of movement were enough for Sakura, though, and she sighed as she sat down heavily next to him. "Oh geezus, Shino-san, that was a close one! You had me worried for a second there! I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have done the technique right next to you!"  
  
"No problem." He had finished patting himself down, and his hands were now back in their pockets, of course. "Just remember, Sakura-san, it is dangerous to play with fire."  
  
She blinked. "You're not mad at me?!"  
  
"No, I am not."  
  
"Oh.. weird." She scratched her head at that. Gee, almost anyone else would have blown their top at her - she blinked again. "Huh? Play with fire? Shino-san, did you just tell another joke?!"  
  
A solemn nod from him. "Yes, I did."  
  
A third blink from her. Then she started to laugh. "Haha, that was a pretty good one, Shino-san! Play with fire, hee hee!" She then stopped herself to sigh in relief, her frayed nerves returning to smoothness. "Gee, so you're not mad at me at all?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
She glanced over at his face to make sure that he was telling the truth, and sure enough, he was as placid as always. A small sound of confirmation from her: "Hmm." And then, a small smile. "Geez, Shino-san, you're a pretty patient guy, huh?"  
  
"I think I am."  
  
A typical Shino response, she thought to herself. Her smile widened as she stood up now. "Well, that's good, Shino-san! Because now, it's time for me to critique your clothing!" Hands on hips. "So, did you go shopping like I suggested?"  
  
"Mmm." He nodded as he stood up with her. "I did go shopping today." His head gestured to the tree by her Gatorade and scroll. "The clothes are over there."  
  
"Cool! Let's take a look!" Sakura fairly skipped over to the tree now, where she found a large paper cream-colored shopping bag. Then she dropped down to her knees and practically ripped the bag open. "Ooooh, I can't wait to see what you bought!"  
  
Shino was already behind her, even though she hadn't noticed his approach (no big feat of stealth on his part, since Sakura's eagerness had her practically stuffing her entire head into the bag). "I bought both shirts and pants like you suggested, Sakura-san."  
  
"Great job, Shino-san! Okay, first up?!" Sakura extracted the first item of clothing from the bag, a neatly-folded pair of earthy brown corduroy pants. And her excited face promptly tightened into a countenance of mild disapproval. "Corduroy?"  
  
"Mmm." He nodded. "I liked the color."  
  
She unfolded the pants "Well, the color and shape isn't too bad.." She groaned in dismay. "But.. corduroy?!"  
  
Shino's brow was faintly puzzled by her condemning words. "What's wrong with corduroy?"  
  
"Corduroy is so last year, Shino-san! It went out of fashion MONTHS ago!"  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Don't worry, though!" She warmly smiled to allay any bruised feelings that he might possibly be experiencing. "You can just return this when you have the time!"  
  
"Very well."  
  
"Ok, next item.." Sakura stuck her hand back into the bag and rooted around some more. "Voila!" She pulled out another pair of neatly folded pants. "Now what do we have here?! It is.. uh.. oh." Her heart sank at the sight of a solemn maroon corduroy. "Another pair of corduroy pants."  
  
Shino explained somewhat unnecessarily: "I like corduroy."  
  
"I can see that." She didn't bother to examine this pair of pants, as, with a palpable air of distaste, she placed it on top of the first pair. "It's ok, Shino-san, you can just return that one too.." With a sense of dread, she now reached into the bag once again. And her voice, no longer as enthused: "And next up is.."  
  
A long-sleeved collared shirt. Made of ivory white corduroy.  
  
"More corduroy?!" Alarms were going off inside her head now, as she dropped the shirt and plunged her face into the bag. Corduroy to the left, corduroy to the right. Corduroy here, there, everywhere. Oh dear, this was trouble indeed.  
  
Head out of bag now, she half-exclaimed and half-shouted: "What the heck, Shino-san! Didn't you buy anything else besides corduroy?!"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Sakura grasped desperately at the thread of hope floating just beyond her reach. "What did you get? Where is it?!"  
  
"I bought some black woolen socks." Shino knelt down beside her to peer inside the bag. "They should be in there somewhere - "  
  
"Aaaaaarrr!" Sakura crashed and burned all the way to the ground, landing face-first onto the pleasant-smelling grass. "This can't be happening!"  
  
"What's wrong, Sakura-san?"  
  
She sat back up in a flash, brushing away a grass blade which was clinging to her nose. "Shino-san! You are going to return those clothes! Got it?"  
  
His voice was deadpan, yet plaintive: "But... I like corduroy."  
  
Sakura would not be denied, as she crossed arms over chest. "Ok, fine, you can keep them. But you're not going to wear those things around Ino. Got it?!"  
  
No sign of irritation, despite her bossiness. "Hmm. I understand."  
  
"Honestly, Shino-san, what is with you and your corduroy fetish?!"  
  
"Corduroy is comfortable and durable. And it makes virtually no sound when you move about. Perfect outdoor clothing for a ninja."  
  
"Arrrrr, Shino-san! You're not going to go out on a mission with Ino! You're going to go out on a date! You don't understand, corduroy is a fashion disaster! It looks too juvenile, no adult man would be caught dead wearing corduroy!"  
  
"But I am not yet an adult man. I am only thirteen years old."  
  
Sakura blinked at that. "Well, uh.. that's not the point! If you want to impress a girl like Ino, you have to act and dress like a mature man. Now, your behavior is okay, but the clothing? Corduroy?! Not on my watch, Shino-san!"  
  
"I see. So what do you suggest I buy, then?"  
  
"Well, first thing tomorrow, I want you to go out and buy something sharp and - no, wait, hold on. Don't go shopping by yourself, okay? Bring someone with you to help you pick stuff out.. like your father! Yeah, your father's an adult, he'll know what's tasteful!"  
  
"Mmm. Very well, I will go shopping with my father sometime this week."  
  
"Excellent! If you go with your father, there shouldn't be.. any.. problems." She stopped talking now, as she stared suspiciously at the serene Shino. Instinctively, deep down, something was nagging her. Something was wrong, terribly wrong with her suggestion.. she then asked: "Shino-san, what type of clothing does your father wear?"  
  
"The same as me."  
  
Horror had her firmly by the throat now, as she gasped: "You mean.."  
  
"Mmm." Shino nodded, confirming her worst suspicions. "He prefers to wear shorts, coat, and sunglasses."  
  
A stunned Outer Sakura said, "I see.." Meanwhile, a flustered Inner Sakura screeched like a banshee: "Oh my god, what kind of grown man wears shorts and sunglasses all the time?! That is simply unbelievable! Wow, so this is what happens when there isn't a woman in the household! The men become walking and talking fashion disasters - "  
  
Sakura suddenly calmed down, totally at peace with herself. Ah, it was all so clear now. There was no way around it. She knew what she had to do. She knew what had to be done.  
  
She stood up. "Shino-san. Let's go."  
  
"Hmm?" Shino stood up now. "Where are we going?"  
  
"We are going shopping. And I am going to pick out clothes for you."  
  
His puzzled eyebrows raised to the highest they had ever been. "Hmm?"  
  
CHAPTER ENDS  
  
Notes: Remember, Chapter 8 is up also! Go ahead and read that one now... man, two things that no one ever thought would ever happen, they just happened! Sakura masters a new technique, and Shino is getting new non-corduroy clothes! Wow! ... on a more serious note, ugh, it was hard for me to get going on this chapter. But once I got in a groove, I was able to scribble down most of this... damn, it was really a pain to type "Katon Goukakyuu" over and over..  
  
RESPONSES TO CHAPTER 6 REVIEWS:  
  
Koyoru: Not enough Shino in the previous chapter? Well, I hope you got your fill of Shino in this chapter. And you say he should have gone shopping with Sakura in the previous chapter? Well, I was way ahead of you there, I already had this chapter all planned out a couple weeks ago.. oh, and you're demanding that this be a SakShino fic? Well.. hmm.. I'm glad you like the fic so far! (yes, I am changing the subject, a la Shino-style)  
  
Liika: Glad you liked the fic! And you think it's gonna be SakShino, huh? Well.. hmm.. how about them Yankees?  
  
Shino Bee: I'm glad you're enthusiastic about the fic, but don't hurt yourself over it. That means no banging your head on desks.  
  
Xoni Newcomer: I'm glad you like the fic, even if you're not a Shino or Sakura fan! As for your nitpick, that is a very valid point, but I cannot answer it just yet, due to spoilers and stuff..  
  
Tasha3: Sakura is bashed all the time for being weak, of course no one's gonna blame her for wanting to be buffer! Glad u liked the fic!  
  
Jaques Rio: Yeah it would be weird for a girl to be intimate with a guy who's a bug nest. But hey, it's what inside that counts, right? Oh wait, what's inside Shino again? Bugs. Ok, never mind that cliche.. as for Sakura dreaming about Hokage? That was her runaway train part, not the realistic part. But hey, you never know what the manga has in store for Sakura... as for Jiraiya being OOC? Yeah, that was a little OOC, but I just wanted to write up another Inner Sakura's reaction, hehe..  
  
Peter Kim: Holy crap, you put a lot of thought into potential Sakura techniques! Well, as you can see, she's already got that fireball technique down.. we'll just have to wait and see if she can master Kage Bunshin..  
  
ccs_lover: As you can see, Sakura has not mastered Kage Bunshin, hehe. Glad you think it's adorable!  
  
DocDragon: Come on, give Jiraiya SOME credit. He's a pervert, and he's a womanizer, but I don't think he'd do such a cruel thing to a little girl.  
  
Katsuhito Sage: No internet for weeks? Ouch.. and yeah, she's training now! Thanx for reading!  
  
Bana Random: Poor Shino? Nothing bad happened to Shino in the last chapter, did it? Either way, thanx for reading!  
  
!() : I dunno if you accidentally cut off your name or something, but glad you liked the fic! 


	8. The GQ Shinobi

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters affiliated with Naruto.  
  
Official Theme Song of this chapter: "I'm Too Sexy", by Right Said Fred  
  
At the bottom of each chapter, there are responses to reviews from the previous chapter. After all, this story is written for the fans, it would be negligent of me to not respond!  
  
CHAPTER BEGINS..  
  
The two Leaf genins were now walking down a street, heading towards Ichiraku Ramen. Shino had bought all his clothes (more precisely, all his corduroy) from a large clothing store on the same block as the ramen booth, and Sakura was now going to kill two birds with one stone: have Shino return all his damned corduroy, and have him buy something slick and sharp. She supposed that he wasn't really at fault for the shopping gaffe, though. He was just unknowledgable about certain important things, this poor misguided soul..  
  
He was certainly knowledgable about other important things though, apparently. Such as ninjutsu. And she aimed to tap into that knowlege right now, because she was insanely curious about something in particular..  
  
As they trudged down the sidewalk, she asked, "Shino-san? How did you know that I would be able to successfully perform the Katon Goukakyuu today, even though I had never been able to do it before?"  
  
Shino was staring straight ahead, as usual. "Because, Sakura-san, you had been practicing the Kage Bunshin, a far more difficult technique than the Katon Goukakyuu."  
  
"Ah." She nodded now. "I understand! Since I've been practicing the Kage Bunshin so much, I've gotten better at manipulating my chakra. And since the chakra manipulation for the Katon Goukakyuu is less demanding, it must have been a trivial task for my body, compared to performing the Kage Bunshin!"  
  
"Precisely. The more you push yourself, the easier everything else becomes."  
  
"Yeah, something like that.." Sakura then asked in as innocent a tone as she could muster: "So, what about this new technique you're practicing, Shino-san? Does your technique require lots of complicated chakra manipulation, too?"  
  
"Yes, it does."  
  
"Oooh, like how so? Like, I dunno, which gates do you have to push the chakra though?"  
  
A pause. Then he said, "You plan on showing the Katon Goukakyuu to Sasuke when he returns. Do you also plan on showing the Kage Bunshin to him?"  
  
Inner Sakura roared, "Damn it, he's NEVER gonna tell me about his techniques, is he?!" Meanwhile, Outer Sakura was blushing madly now, as she murmured, "Well, I would like to, I mean, I am sure he would even be more impressed by the Kage Bunshin than the Katon Goukakyuu.."  
  
Shino wasn't quite sure if "impressed" was the right word, as he tried to imagine what sort of face Sasuke Uchiha would wear if confronted by a dozen infatuated Sakura's instead of just one. But then he noticed her blushing, and he stopped imagining Sasuke's scowling face. "Sakura-san, why are you embarrassed?"  
  
"Who, me?!" She hastily fanned the cool late afternoon air to her face, trying to blow away the redness. "Oh, it's nothing, it's just that.. you know.. I get all embarrassed when I talk about Sasuke-kun like this to strangers - not that you're a stranger, Shino-san! But, you know.. you know what I mean, don't you?"  
  
"No, I do not. Why is it embarrassing to talk about someone you like?"  
  
"Well, I dunno.. it just is!" Sakura was energized now by this discussion/argument. "How about you? Don't tell me you never get embarrassed by anything!"  
  
"That is not true. I have had my share of embarrassing moments."  
  
"Ooooh, really?" She was now in gossip mode. "Like what?! Tell me, tell me!"  
  
He paused again, a tell-tale sign of him about to change the subject.. and sure enough: "What type of clothing should I - "  
  
Sakura jumped in front of him, blocking his path. And she lanced out a finger towards his face. "Ah ha! Not this time, Shino-san! Tell me about one of your embarrassing moments, damn it! You never tell me anything!"  
  
The frizzy-pink-haired white-eyed obstacle in his path actually startled the bug boy, surprisingly enough. "I don't?"  
  
"No, you don't! You always change the subject if I'm asking about your ninja techniques, and now you're changing the subject here!" Hands on hips. "Tell me, Shino-san, or I'm not going anywhere!"  
  
He paused yet AGAIN, and for a moment, Sakura thought he was going to change the subject AGAIN. But this time, she was wrong, as he recounted with a vaguely nostalgic deadpan: "The most recent episode was two weeks ago. I was at the ninja academy, and I had just checked out a book on taijutsu fundamentals. I was reading the book as I walked down the hallway, when I realized that I had to go to the restroom..."  
  
Oooh, Sakura thought to herself, this could be good. And she nodded, egging him further. "Go on!"  
  
"I knew where the academy's restrooms were located, of course. So, while I was reading the book, I walked over to the restrooms and entered the men's room."  
  
He paused, and Sakura breathlessly exclaimed, "And then what?!"  
  
"I noticed that Kurenai-sensei was standing at one of the restroom's sinks. So, I asked her why she was in the men's room - "  
  
"What?! Kurenai-sensei was using the men's room?!"  
  
"No, Sakura-san. Actually, I had accidentally walked into the women's room. However, since I was so engrossed with my book, I did not notice that I was in the wrong room - "  
  
"Hahahahaha!" Sakura was practically crying now, she was laughing so hard. That really did sound something like Shino would do, the poor bug boy. "Oh wow, Kurenai-sensei must have been so surprised to see you, huh?! Did she make you run laps for being such a naughty boy?!"  
  
"No, she did not punish me. She was surprised, but she was also quite understanding because she knows me rather well."  
  
"I see." She was wiping tears away now, shoulders still shaking in the aftershocks of mirth. "So what did she do, then?"  
  
"She told me that, sometimes, maybe I think too much."  
  
"You think a lot?"  
  
"I do. But I don't believe I think too much."  
  
"Geez, what do you think about all the time?!"  
  
"I am usually thinking about theoretical situations where I might have to use my bugs."  
  
"Even now?!"  
  
"Even now." He nodded to a nearby tree. "For example, if an enemy ninja is hiding up in the branches there, I would - "  
  
"Stop, stop, stop!" Hands on hips. "Geez, Shino-san, you're too serious! It's good to be focused on your training and all, but really, you'll go insane if you think about it ALL the time."  
  
"I don't think about it all the time. Just most of the time."  
  
"Hmmph. I'll take your word for it.. well then, Shino-san, what else do you think about?"  
  
"Well..." Shino paused. "What time does the store close?"  
  
Inner Sakura was just about ready to hang herself from the rafters now. "Reeaarrgh! He changed the subject again!"  
  
* * *  
  
As it turned out, Shino's concerns about the store's closing time were unfounded. When the two arrived at the store, they discovered that it would be at least several more hours before the store shut down for the day. And this suited Sakura just fine, for she was determined to take advantage of every minute available to them...  
  
The pink-haired whirlwind known as Sakura Haruno zoomed up and down the aisles, looking a bit like the Tasmanian Devil from the Looney Tunes cartoons, while Shino faithfully tagged along with his stolid Frankenstein steps. At periodic intervals, the kuniochi cyclone would slow down just enough in front of a clothing rack, so that a hand could reach out and grab an item. The hand would then shove said item into Shino's arms, accompanied by a enthusiastic comment of how great this would look on him. Then the cyclone would be on its way, leaving behind a frantically clomping FrankenShino as he tried to catch up with her.  
  
This went on for half an hour, until the Sakura cyclone finally died down in front of an unoccupied array of mirrors. She decided to set up camp here, and with a triumphant smile, she declared, "I believe that you finally have yourself a new wardrobe, Shino-san! So, what do you think?"  
  
A huge pile of clothing stood next to her, with a pair of legs sticking out from underneath. And Shino's distant voice called out from somewhere behind the pile: "Isn't this a bit much, Sakura-san? I cannot afford all this."  
  
"Shino-san, you big silly! Of course you're not going to buy all this! You're just going to try it on, that's all."  
  
"Oh. Okay."  
  
"Now, let's see..." Sakura pointed to a nearby row of chairs. "You can set down the clothes over there."  
  
Shino complied with her direction, carefully setting down the unwieldly pile on the floor. Then he stood up, waiting for further directions. And Sakura did not disappoint, as she immediately ordered, "Now take off your coat."  
  
"Mmm."  
  
He did as asked, and the opal sky blue coat came off with a muffled clink and jangle, like a wind chime blanketed by cheesecloth. The metallic clinking piqued Sakura's curiosity, and she asked, "What's that sound?"  
  
"My kunai." He briefly displayed the interior of his coat, revealing the dozens of daggers which were strapped to the lining, before he placed it on the chair beside him.  
  
"Oh yeah, that's right! Those kunai are for one of your new techniques, right?"  
  
"Yes, they are."  
  
"Ah..." She did not even bother to ask about the technique, since she already knew what the non-answer would be. Instead, she paused to study the rarest of sights before her: the sight of a coatless Shino.  
  
Her first impression of Coatless Shino was a favorable one. Limbwise, he was a bit lankier than she had expected, but he carried himself well, not appearing to be gangly or awkward by any means. His body trunk was also quite long, making him seem even taller than he actually was. Despite the length, however, his body was nicely filled out for a young man just entering his teenage years. Although he was hardly a hulking specimen of musclebound beef, the plain white long-sleeved turtleneck fit snugly and closely to him, the contours hinting of a vigorous athletic body underneath.  
  
The trim body was to be expected, however; after all, most ninjas kept themselves in excellent shape. Sakura was more worried about the face, since she had never been able to get a good look despite all the time she had recently spent with him. But now that the coat's upturned collar was no longer obstrucing her view, she was relieved to see that his face was not mangled or lopsided in some sort of hopelessly hideous mask. On the contrary, his features were actually quite appealing: strong clean-cut chin with a shallow cleft running down the middle, high pronounced cheekbones, rather thin lips, that fierce perptually-intense brow. Like the rest of his body, his face was a little on the long side, a bit narrow with no roundness anywhere... she couldn't see his eyes, of course, due to the sunglasses. But all in all, she liked what she saw -  
  
Geez, he was still wearing his sunglasses?! Rolling went Sakura's eyes, as the exasperated kuniochi said, "Shino-san, you should take off the glasses, don't you think? It looks kinda weird when you wear them indoors."  
  
"It does?"  
  
"Never mind." She sighed and looked him up and down one more time. Then she pointed to the men's dressing room, which was no more than five meters away. "Ok, Shino-san, pick a shirt and a pair of pants, then go in there and put them on!"  
  
A grunt of acknowledgment. "Mmm." Then he knelt down by the pile of clothes which she had selected, and he started to sift through it, searching for anything which might catch his eye. And Sakura hovered in the background, waiting for him to choose.  
  
Initially, Sakura's wait was peacefully patient; she stood there with her hands primly clasped behind her back, not really paying attention to what he was doing. However, after maybe half a minute of him rooting around like a wild boar searching for truffles, her foot started to tap, and an eyebrow started to twitch. What was taking so long ...she stared at the bug boy as he turned over item after item, his head scanning back and forth ... after two minutes had passed, she finally realized that he was looking for something in particular. So she asked:  
  
"Shino-san, what are you looking for?"  
  
He looked up from the utterly destroyed pile. "I am looking for any corduroy items which you might have picked up."  
  
"Yeeeeargh!" Inner Sakura stormed about, blasting bazookas into the air like a triggerhappy cowboy would brandish his six shooters. "This guy is freaking impossible!"  
  
Meanwhile, Outer Sakura was squatting down next to the already squatting Shino, plunging her hands into the heap of clothes as she said with the patience of Buddha: "I did not pick any corduroy clothing, Shino-san."  
  
Shino's deadpan seemed almost dismayed now. "You didn't?"  
  
"Nope." She curtly thrust a blouse and slacks into his arms. "Here. Wear this, I'm sure you will look lovely, now go go go!"  
  
Shino had no time to respond, as Cowboy Sakura rounded up the befuddled bug boy and herded him towards the men's room. Then she walked back to the array of mirrors and fell into an armchair to take a well-deserved rest, fingers massaging her charmingly wide forehead. Oh wow, the implementation of Shino's new wardrobe was turning out to be so much more stressful than she had anticipated ...  
  
But she couldn't help but smile as her fingers fell away from the forehead to rest on her lap. Maybe the going was a bit rough, but in the end, it was worth the effort. Shino was finally going to get his new look. Sakura's plan was now in its final stages. And best of all, she actually enjoyed the time she had spent hanging out with the bug boy. He wasn't anywhere near as boring or antisocial as she had expected. Much more friendly than anticipated, indeed. And sometimes, he was actually pretty darned funny, both intentionally and unintentionally. Exceptionally patient, too. Almost to a fault, really, since he didn't seem to care if she bossed him around. Although, she grumbled to herself, he still refused to tell her anything about his ninja techniques ...  
  
The ornery grumbling turned to cheerful humming, however. And her legs began to swing back and forth underneath the armchair, as she recalled Shino's comical expression after her successful attempt at the Katon Gokyakuu. That weirdo was usually so serious all the time, thus, the sight of his hot and bothered face had been really amusing -  
  
Shino's voice cut in: "Sakura-san, I have put on the clothes."  
  
"Great!" Rear end still glued to her seat, she turned in the chair to look behind her now. "Let's see what you look like - whoa!"  
  
The first thought to cross Sakura's mind was that this guy could not possibly be Shino. She had been expecting an awkward and uncomfortable bug boy, but instead, she got an eyeful of a coolly debonair shinobi, as he casually slouched with hands in pants pockets. The wildly-colored safari silken blouse and the spotless midnight-black slacks which she had picked out? They were currently clinging very nicely to his lanky frame, just loose enough to effect sporty and untamed, his wild hair adding even further to the allure of primeval masculinity. She had been critical of the sunglasses just moments before, but now, to her disbelieving eyes, the shades looked very slick indeed, as he stared off into the distance to contemplate god knows what, unwittingly presenting his keen profile for her to gaze upon... for all intents and purposes, it seemed like a model had just hopped out of the ninja edition of GQ magazine and landed smack dab in the middle of the store.  
  
Sakura had already been aware of Shino's plus height, of course; but now, for no particular reason, he seemed terribly tall now, while she felt so tiny and dainty. The kuniochi was shrinking inside her chair, hands squeezing the top of said chair, large prudent eyes carefully peering up at him...  
  
Her abnormal silence permeated throughout the room, and Shino noticed her odd reaction, of course. And if he didn't know any better (and he didn't), he could have sworn that she was embarrassed by something about him. So he immediately looked down at himself to make sure that nothing was amiss. Was his fly zipped all the way up? Check. He was not wearing the shirt inside out, was he? Nope. His buttons were evenly buttoned, right? Yes, they were...  
  
She was still not talking, so he now gently prodded her for an opinion: "Sakura-san? Is something wrong with my clothes?"  
  
She immediately shook her head, pink hair fervently waving from side to side. "No, no, nothing's wrong! You look... um... very neat!"  
  
"Thank you, Sakura-san." Shino then reached up to tug at his collar. "These pricetags are irritating, though."  
  
She did not respond, at first, because a ridiculous urge to giggle was welling up inside her, and she needed a moment to compose herself. But now she was the one changing the subject, for once, as she suggested in as innocent a tone she could muster: "You know, Shino-san, maybe you should take off your glasses. You might look different without them."  
  
"Hmm." His hand started to drift upwards towards his face. "You're right, Sakura-san."  
  
"Mmm hmm." She nodded emphatically, still hiding from behind her chair as her growing eyes watched the fingers pull away the glasses...  
  
Pretty much dead-on reflections of Shino himself. Somewhat sleek and narrow. Overwhelmingly dark, serious, and intense. They reminded her so much of Sasuke-kun's eyes, actually, although Shino's contain none of the desolate brooding and fury...  
  
Sakura has now realized that, on its own initiative, her hand has surreptitiously slipped up to her neck, and her fingers were gingerly touching the suddenly rosy smoothness of her formerly fair-colored skin. The rosiness was not just limited to her neck, either; it had spread to her ears and cheeks, but she caught herself in time before the hand moved on to those flushed areas...  
  
Shino looked down at her now, and the eyes imperceptibly sharpen at the uncharacteristically meek Sakura. "Sakura-san?"  
  
The sharpened version of his eyes elicit the blossoming of goosebumps underneath her still-caressing fingers; and she hastily averted her own eyes from his, the bright wide emerald dimming to a demure sea-green. And her hurried voice scrabbled in her throat, as she murmured: "Shino-san, you should go try something else on."  
  
"Mmm." He solemnly nodded as he headed back to the pile of clothes. "I will do so."  
  
The motionless Sakura intently watched his every move, until he disappeared into the men's dressing room. Then she jumped off the chair and hustled to the array of mirrors nearby, inwardly bemoaning about her shabby appearance. The sight of the immaculate GQ Shino has awakened Sakura to the reality of just how dingy she currently was: her hair is all over the place, her charmingly wide forehead is hopelessly smudged, her clothes are battered and bedraggled. She tried to wipe away the smudges on her forehead with her fingers, but her fingers were also dirty, thus worsening the problem. With a growl, she furiously wiped her digits against her skirt-clad bottom, then used her relatively clean short sleeves to erase the thin layer of grime on her forehead...  
  
She stopped to study herself again. Her forehead was now mostly clean, at least. And she could do a little something about the hair and clothing, too. The fingers quickly tucked the hair behind the ears; then they moved down to tug at her skirt, until it regained a semblance of symmetry and smoothness - wait, she missed a couple hairs. The fingers went back up, tucking the straggling strands back behind her ears...  
  
She now scrutinized her appearance one more time. This would have to do for now, she told herself, until she got home. All in all, she didn't think she looked too bad now. Maybe her image was a little on the rough side, but as long as she wasn't standing next to a supermodel on a runway, it would be all right -  
  
"Oh Sakuraaaaa!"  
  
Blurgh?! Sakura promptly gagged at the familiar singsong voice, and she spun around to see Ino cavorting down an aisle towards her -  
  
Graaack! Sakura almost choked now at the sight of her friend. If Shino looked like a GQ model who had jumped out of a magazine, Ino looked like a maiden of royalty who had just popped out of a fairy tale. A looming raven black ballroom dress, with a sleek and sexy sleeveless top embracing her slim tapering waist and her burgeoning womanly curves in a daringly coquettish manner. The front was modest, but the back was daring, revealing virtually all of the finely-muscled shoulders. The streaming blonde hair was now tied up in an impeccably elegant bun, revealing the entirety of her pearly feminine neck and throat. Golden baubles and diamonds (rhinestones?) dangled from the earlobes, and a slim elbow-length velvet glove of matching black now reached up to play with the tinkling chimes. The lightly tulip-touched lips then parted in a bountiful smile...  
  
"Well, hello, Sakura! What are you doing here?"  
  
Deaf to the question just posed to her, Sakura simply gawked at the blonde princess. "Why are you... dressed like that?!"  
  
"Oh, this?" A nymphish giggle from Ino as she twirled about once to show off her magnificence. "I am going to a prom tonight!"  
  
"You... are?"  
  
"Yup! A cousin of mine couldn't rustle up a date in time, so I am going to save him from humiliation and embarrassment! Of course, at first, I didn't want to go, but then I changed my mind. Because, after all, it's not often that you get to dress up like this!"  
  
"Uh... yeah." Shoulders deflated beyond flatness, Sakura felt like a complete and total bum now. A grungy grubby hobo who had just rolled out from the nearest street gutter...  
  
Ino was not done talking yet, of course. "I can't stay too long, because my cousin is picking up his tux right now, after all, this was kind of a last-minute thing, something of a rush job, say, what do you think my dress?" Ino's gloves preened over her slender hips now. "Too daring?"  
  
A gloomy mumble: "You look fine."  
  
"Gee, thanks! That's what everyone else says, hee hee - " Ino suddenly blinks. "Say, what are you doing here in the men's department? Are you shopping for your father or something?"  
  
Before Sakura had a chance to answer, another familiar voice called out now, with its usual deadpan tone: "Sakura-san, I'm sorry, but all of the stalls were occupied. Therefore I was unable to change into something else - "  
  
The GQ shinobi pulled up to a halt at a safe distance from the two girls. And he blinked at the awe-inspiring beauty of blonde splendor before him. "Hmm?"  
  
Ino looked to Shino now, and she returned the blink with three of her own. The mascara-laced eyelashes flitted once, twice, thrice... and the first thing that crossed Ino's mind was: who in the world is this dashing hunky fellow???  
  
The blonde kuniochi did not voice that question out loud, of course. She could not have done so, even if she wanted to, because a blushing spell had descended upon her, weighing down her normally sharp and witty tongue...  
  
She finally managed to squeeze out two stupified words of greeting: "Um. Hello."  
  
At the sound of her voice, Shino blinked again. Then he returned the greeting: "Hello."  
  
CHAPTER ENDS  
  
Notes: Oh my god, Ino has finally made her debut! What's going to happen now?! Stay tuned! Same bug time! Same bug channel!... some of you might have noticed the "Theme Song" thingy at the top of this chapter. It's just a little fun thing I put in, hehe. I saw the movie "Encino Man" the other day, and this song was playing while a caveman put on some nice clothes. Very funny stuff... on a more serious note, I'm lapsing into some serious writer's block these days. Mostly because I have this other story idea that I want to write, but I want to finish this one first. I actually started the other one already, but I won't post it because I can't possibly do both at the same time... 


	9. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters affiliated with Naruto. 

Theme Song for this chapter: "She Ain't Got the Boom Like I Do" by Blaque, featuring Destiny's Child

At the bottom of each chapter, there are responses to reviews from the previous chapter. After all, this story is written for the fans, it would be negligent of me to not respond!

CHAPTER BEGINS

The blond bombshell in the black party dress, otherwise known as Ino Yamanaka: "Um. Hello."

The dashing GQ shinobi, otherwise known as Shino Aburame: "Hello."

The dingy and ill-kempt Leaf genin who was fresh off a day of hard training, otherwise known as Sakura Haruno: "Ugh."

As a general rule, Sakura liked to look good. And when she looked better than Ino, she liked it even more. Of course, conversely, during those rare occassions when she looked worse than Ino (well, at least Sakura considered those occassions to be rare)... arrrr! Her blood really boiled whenever that happened.

Thus, only now were Sakura's eyes able to tear away from the splendidly-groomed Ino, as they rotated over towards Shino to gauge his reaction. Would Shino fall victim to the enchanting siren before him? Would he be ogling her friend/rival's slinkiness with buggy lust-crazed eyes? Would he be drooling and licking his chops like a pit bull, ready to sink his teeth into the appetizing sight before him?

Predictably enough, however, all of Sakura's fantastic concerns proved to be baseless. For Shino was standing there, deadpan as usual. And his placid naked eyes were now issuing that dispassionately intense stare normally reflected by the sunglasses currently tucked inside the front of his silken blouse. The reassuring sight of good ol' bug boy brought a little smile to Sakura's smudged face. Really, she should have known better. Whether confronted by a hostile foreign ANBU or a pretty blonde girl oozing with libido, apparently it was all the same to the dependably unflappable Shino... then Sakura pondered, maybe he was simply used to beauitful women in tight clothing? Due to his constant exposure to Kurenai-sensei?

Either way, Ino could see that Sakura and this hunky fellow already knew each other. "Are you a friend of Sakura's?!"

"Yes, I am."

"Ah ha." Ino nodded, as her sky blue eyes gazed upon the young man's serene face. Wow, this guy could keep his cool even when confronted by a super sexy gal like herself? What a guy! He could pose a real challenge for her irresistible charms, indeed -

Wait a minute. For some odd reason, she could have sworn she had seen this guy somewhere before... she extended a slender gloved hand for him to shake. "Hi, my name's Ino! Have we met before?"

"Yes, we have, although we have never been formally introduced." He stuck out his own hand and shook hers. "My name is Shino Aburame."

Ino was almost not listening, as she enjoyed the feel of his hand in hers. Oooh, nice big firm handshake... as she squeezed his hand a couple times to confirm its size, she said almost absent-mindedly: "Nice to meet you, Shino Aburame - WHAT?!"

The blonde kuniochi's jaw dropped to the floor with a resounding thud. "Shino?! From Team 8?!" Her normally nimble lips were trying to run out a glib sentence or two, but they were stumbling out of the gates for now. So all she said was: "No way!"

Shino: "Yes way."

Ino's lips were still running in place, unable to get any solid footing. "No freaking way!"

Shino looked to Sakura, his deadpan somehow conveying a sense of exasperation. And Sakura giggled, as she confirmed, "Ino, he's telling the truth. This really is Shino-san from our academy class."

"Mmm." He nodded back to Sakura, his deadpan now masking the vaguest of grins...

Ino was visibly annoyed by the fact that, while in the midst of her glorious presence, a cute boy was still paying so much attention to the UFG (Ugly Forehead Girl). So she immediately cut in, demanding to be noticed: "Well, Shino-san, I'm sorry I didn't recognize you there, but I don't think I've ever seen you dress this way before... you look really sharp!"

Much to Ino's delight, Shino now turned back to her. Mission accomplished. "Thank you, Ino-san. That was the intent of this clothing, actually."

"So, no glasses? No coat with that huge collar? You're actually showing your face to everyone now?"

A nod. "Mmm."

"Well then!" Ino's admiring eyes were roving all over him. "You really should dress like this more often, Shino-san. If you do, I am positive that girls like me would remember you much more easily!" A playful wink. "If you know what I mean."

The flirtatious pass apparently flew right over Shino's head, as he solemnly nodded. "I see. Interesting..."

While Ino giggled, Outer Sakura was rolling her eyes every which way possible. And Inner Sakura crossed her arms in disgust, as she bitch-barked, "Would you look at that Ino pig?! Giggling and flirting so shamelessly with a boy she doesn't even know?! Hmmph! No decency whatsoever! Now watch, I'll bet she's gonna start touching herself any moment now - bah, there she goes! So predictable!"

And sure enough, Ino had lifted up her arms, and was now tucking imaginary strands of hair behind her ears. Calling attention to her flawless hairdo and the shifting of her heightened bosom... and Shino's level stare drifted over to the gloved hands' deft motions. Then the eyes moved on to scrutinize the glittering jeweled barrette and the wind chime earrings.

"Ino-san, you are going somewhere tonight, I presume?"

"Oh yes! I never thought you would ask, Shino-san!" The gloved fingers were now caressing her cheek. "I am going to a prom tonight."

"A prom?" Shino seemed a bit perplexed now. "Odd. When we graduated from the academy, I do not recall Iruka-sensei telling us anything about a prom."

Ino's hands stopped playing with her hair, and they placed themselves against her chest. Then the elegant face broke out into a comical caricature of uproarious laughter, as if Shino had just delivered the world's funniest joke. "Oh Shino-san! Hahaha, you're so funny!" Still laughing, she now doubled over from the pangs of amusement -

She promptly erected herself back up by placing a covert hand onto his shoulder and using his sturdy frame for support. Hand still on his shoulder, she laughed in a singsong voice: "Of course Iruka-sensei didn't say anything about a prom, Shino-san! Our ninja academy doesn't have such things!"

"Ah. I see." Shino nodded in understanding, not reacting to the hand on his shoulder, but not shying away, either. "Your cousin is not an aspiring shinobi."

Another giggle from Ino. "Nope! He's just an average joe who attends some ordinary middle school."

"I see." Shino then paused, brow furrowed in uncertainty...

The attentive Ino immediately asked, "What's bothering you, Shino-san?"

"Well, I do not know much about proms, but Ino-san, I find it strange that someone would ask his cousin out on a date - "

"Ho ho ho!" A black glove went up to cover Ino's wide chasm of a laughing mouth. "Oh ho ho ho! Shino-san, you're so silly! This is not a date! My cousin and I are just going together as friends, nothing more!"

"Ah. I see." Another pause of hesitation. "But still, why would he ask you..."

"Oh Shino-san, don't you know? Gentlemen prefers blondes!" Ino shot a mischeivous smirk over to Sakura. "Everyone knows that, right?"

Sakura almost missed the question directed towards her, since she had been watching the conversation much like how a tennis spectator watches a tennis match: head going back and forth while Shino and Ino exchanged verbal volleys. But when she eventually registered the words that had slipped into her ears, the retaliation was immediate:

"Psht! Yeah right!"

"Hey, I'm not the only who thinks that!" Ino was nudging a chummy elbow into Shino's ribs, as if they were already the best of pals. "Isn't that right, Shino-san?"

A shrug of indifference. "I suppose."

Ino crowed in victory, "See?! Even Shino-san agrees with me!"

Sakura growled, "Yeah right! He said that just to get you to stop bothering him about that stupid stereotype!"

The blonde scowled back. "No, he said it because it's true!"

"No, he didn't! Ino Pig!"

"Yes, he did! Forehead Girl!"

"Are these two really friends?" That was Shino thinking to himself, of course -

Both of the girls: "Shino-san!"

He blinked at the twin bellows. "Hmm?"

Both of the girls pointed at each other in the face, and they demanded in unison: "Tell her that I'm right!"

"Ahhh..." Shino paused, prompting Sakura to anticipate one of his familiar subject-changing manuevers. And sure enough, he did exactly that: "I think I should be going home soon. My father said that he was going to try to cook dinner tonight."

Sakura was used to his subject-changing ways by now, but his tactic was still unfamiliar to Ino. And the blonde crooked an eyebrow in his direction. "Huh? What does dinner have to do with any of this?"

Meanwhile, Sakura was also inwardly scratching her head, albeit for a different reason. "Shino-san, your father is 'trying' to cook dinner? What do you mean - oh, I get it!" A knowing grin. "Your father is not a very good cook, is he?"

"Not really. But he does try."

"Huh?" Ino was still a step behind the other two. "Wait, Shino-san... did you just tell a joke?!"

A nod. "Mmm."

A blink from the self-proclaimed sexiest kuniochi of Konoha Village. Then she started to giggle in actual earnest, unlike her previous titters. "Wow, I didn't know you joked around, Shino-san!"

"You're not the first one to tell me that, Ino-san."

"Hee hee! Well, you should try to do it more often! It's very becoming for you!" Ino was standing still, but she somehow seemed to be bouncing excitedly about inside her high heels. "Anyways, why is your father preparing dinner?! Is today a special day for your mother?"

Sakura recoiled from Ino's inadvertent blunder, while Shino simply stood there (as usual). But the gravity in his face tangibly dampened, as he somberly informed, "Ino-san, my mother died seven years ago."

"Oh?" A heavy blanket of gloom descended over Ino, her joviality totally smothered... and she began to nervously rub her gloved palms against the outside of her hips. "I'm sorry, Shino-san, I didn't know."

"No need to apologize. You did not mean any harm."

"Mmm, thank you." She nodded, ears now perking up at his words. Like Sakura had before, Ino was now noticing that Shino's low deep voice had this unusual soothing and mesmerizing timbre to it... to Ino, a very comforting (not to mention sexy) voice...

Then a high-pitched boy voice called out, with a crack that hinted of upcoming puberty: "Hey, Ino! Where are you?"

"Oh drats!" Ino grumbled as she started to gather up her abundant ballroom dress. "That's my cousin, I guess he's got his tux now." A flash of a bright smile. "It was nice running into you, Shino-san!"

A nod. "Mmm. Likewise, Ino-san."

Ino was still not done with gathering in her billowing dress (there was a lot of dress down there), and she took the opportunity to mention, "Say, if you ever need floral arrangements or house plants or anything related to gardening, you should drop by my mom's flower shop sometime! Or, if you just want to say hi, that would be great, too!"

Anothe nod. "Okay."

The cousin squalled out from somewhere on the other side of the store: "Ino! Where are you?!"

Ino's sweet voice deepened into the roar of an irate lioness, as she bellowed back: "I'm coming, damn it!" Then the silky sweet purr returned, as she started to walk off, dress hiked up above her ankles. "Also, just in case you were wondering, I work there on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays - wait, tomorrow's Thursday, right? I'll be there tomorrow! Drop by if you can!" A final wave, as she was almost at the far end of the aisle. "Bye Shino-san! Bye Sakura!"

A stiff wave from Shino. And Sakura waved back with her own loud call: "Have fun, Ino!"

"I will!" Then the blonde princess, with the huge dress tagging along behind her, disappeared around the corner...

"Phew!" Sakura slumped into the nearest chair, all of the stress draining away from her sorely clogged brain. And she looked up to Shino with an exhausted smile. "That was quite interesting, wasn't it?"

He observed, "Ino-san is quite a lively girl."

A laugh. "Understatement of the century, Shino-san. She is quite the handful."

"Mmm." He seemed quite puzzled now. "Sakura-san, wasn't I supposed to ask her out?"

"Ah?!" Sakura froze in her chair. Then she squeezed her eyes shut, then open, taken aback by Shino's observation of the obvious. "Ah! You're right!" She looked up to Shino. "You were supposed to, weren't you?!"

A nod. "Mmm."

"Well, geez, I can't believe we forgot about that! Haha!" Sakura bonked herself in the head for her bumble of a memory lapse. "Huh! I guess we were too surprised by her suddenly jumping in on us!"

Another nod. "Mmm."

Sakura thought to herself, "Geez, all this time in front of Ino and Shino, and it never once occurred to me... really dumb, Sakura! Really dumb! Come on, don't turn into a Naruto now!"

Shino was saying something now, and Sakura shook herself free from the chain of thought wrapping itself around her head. "What was that, Shino-san?"

"I suppose it was bad timing, Sakura-san."

"Yeah! That's right!" Sakura took up the torch of reason from Shino now. "It was bad timing, really! She was about to leave for the prom anyway, it would have been awkward for you to ask her out right there. And besides, this was the first time you really ever talked to her, right? It would be creepy if you asked her out without even getting to know her a little bit!"

"Yes, quite creepy."

She put aside the mishap for now. "Well anyways, Shino-san. Since you have to go home soon, I guess you should decide on which clothes you want to buy, huh?"

"Mmm." He looked down at his clothes. "I like these."

She approved of his choice, of course, since she was the one who had picked them out in the first place. And she gave him a thumbs up a la Gai-sensei: the Sakura Haruno stamp of approval. "Excellent choice, Shino-san!"

* * *

Five minutes later, Shino and Sakura were walking out of the store, with Shino's new clothes inside a shopping bag. However, an outsider would have been hard-pressed to guess that the clothes belonged to Shino, because Sakura was the one holding the bag up to her face, peering at the contents, and chattering excitedly ... 

"Now remember, Shino-san, you can NOT put this blouse in a washing machine or dryer. You have to hand-wash it, and dry it flat or on a line. As for these slacks, they look like - "

She sensed an aura of incomprehension from Shino, and she looked up at him. "Did you want to ask something?"

The huge turquoise coat was back on, and those dark eyes were once again behind the sunglasses (somewhat to her chagrin, they really were nice eyes). And he said from behind the upturned collar: "What do you mean by 'dry it on a line' ?"

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "You know, hang it from a line." Unfortunately, his face was still blank, so she expounded further. "And when I say 'line', I'm referring to a clothesline... you DO know what a clothesline is, right?"

"Ah." Shino's tense brow finally relaxed, at peace now that he understood. "A clothesline. I know what that is."

"Thank god," Sakura murmured under her breath... then she smiled as she returned to her favorite conversational topic: clothing. "Now, as for your slacks, they look like bleeders, so you'll have to be especially careful with these. You should probably wash them in a sink for the first time, and then afterwards, definitely make sure to keep them with the darks when you wash them in the machine - "

The bug boy was emanating that aura of incomprehension once again, and Sakura stopped with a sigh. "Now what is it?"

"What do you mean by 'darks' ?"

Oh dear. "Darks... whites... you know, darks and whites?"

For all intents and purposes, Sakura might as well have been speaking in Swahili to the befuddled Shino, as he wondered out loud: "Darks? Whites?"

"Dark clothing, Shino-san. And white clothing - wait a minute!" Hands on hips now. "Honestly, Shino-san! How in the world do you do your laundry?!"

"Well, first, I put the clothes into the washing machine. Then I put in the detergent - "

"You don't separate the clothes beforehand, do you?"

"Of course not." Shino gave her a strange look. "Should I be separating them?"

"Oh boy." Sakura clapped an exasperated hand to her illustriously wide forehead, as she sadly took one last look at the haplessly doomed slacks and blouse inside the bag. She was quite sure that they would not survive any more than half a year under Shino-san's "care"... wow, wow, wow. Without a woman in the house, men really WERE helpless, weren't they? Not quite as helpless as, say, a quadraplegic trying to play water polo. But still, pretty darned close -

The two genins pulled up to a halt on the sidewalk, confronted by a rather odd sight: Kiba and Akamaru both down on all fours and scurrying to and fro, zealously sniffing the ground with their wiggling noses. And after a moment, thanks to Kiba's mumbling, Sakura realized that the two were trying to pick up a scent...

Kiba was talking to himself as he stopped to sniff intently at a particular spot: "He was definitely not alone... definitely walking with someone... probably a girl, since there's no way a guy would wash his hair with Brazil Nut shampoo..."

Sakura blinked at that. What a coincidence. She used Brazil Nut shampoo...

Still madly sniffing the ground, Kiba started to shuffle forward on his hands and knees, following this new scent that he's picked up. "Sweat, dirt, and grass. She must have been training today... and she smells kinda bad, too... whoa, I take that back. This girl reeks! She smells even worse than that bug stench of his... whoa, hold on, the scent is getting stronger now... she must be close by - "

Kiba stopped shuffling about, as his nose came upon two feet. Open-toed shinobi shoes, revealing ten neatly painted bubble-gum-pink toenails. Definitely girl's toes. Definitely girl's feet. This was her. The girl who was walking with Shino. Finally, he had found them.

"Oi!" With a grin, Kiba looked up from the feet. "Hey, what's up - "

He yelped as a murderous face of death and destruction, framed by blazing pink hair, loomed before his entire field of vision. And Sakura snarled in a subhuman voice, as the sound of cracking knuckles filled the air: "I'm smelly, am I?!"

"Yikes!" Kiba scrambled to his feet, ready to dodge impending pink-haired fury. "Hey, Sakura, chill! I meant it in a good way - " He finally noticed the bug boy standing off to the side. "Oi, what's up, Shino! Hey, so you've finally got around to chatting with Ino, eh?"

At the mention of the blonde kuniochi's name, both Sakura and Shino blinked. And Sakura exclaimed, "How did you know?!"

"Hehe! Guess who ran into Ino while she was hurrying off to some prom thingy?" Kiba hooked a thumb to his chest as Akamaru jumped onto his master's head with a yap. "That's right, me! And, man, Shino, she couldn't stop talking about you! She was in this limo, but when she saw me on the street, she actually had the limo driver stop the car so that she could ask me all these questions about you!"

Shino blinked from behind the sunglasses. "Really?"

"Yeah, really! Damn, Shino, you lady killer, I didn't know you had it in you! She was talking about how dark and mysterious and funny you were, man, I couldn't get her to shut up! And, might I add, she was looking mighty luscious tonight, too!" Kiba now grinned like the predator that he was. "Dude, Shino, you can't waste any time, you gotta ask her out tomorrow!"

"Why tomorrow?"

"Cuz she's expecting you to ask her out!"

Another blink from behind the sunglasses. "She is?"

"Of course, dude. After I told her that you liked her - "

"You told her I liked her?"

"Of course I did, you guys been drumming that into my head just a couple days ago! Anyway, when Ino heard that, she was all like this." The dog boy clapped his hands to his cheeks, his eyelashes fluttering and his voice upping to a falsetto as he did his best Ino impression: "Oh my god, Kiba, are you serious?! Shino-san likes me?! I had no idea, he didn't really give me too many hints back at the store! Wow, he must be such a shy guy, that's so cuuuuuute - oh wait, there was this one little hint! He agreed with me about how gentlemen prefer blondes, tee hee, he's so funny, tee hee, tee hee!"

Kiba's voice and eyelashes returned to their usual rowdy and ruffian selves. "You get the idea. So, Shino, what's the plan? You gonna ask her out tomorrow? You gonna?! You gonna?!"

"Well, Kiba, it depends."

Kiba fairly shrieked, "Depends on what?! Dude, she's HOT for you!" He turned to Sakura for assistance. "Help me out here, Sakura, you're the mastermind behind all this! Let's get this bug boy to grow a pair of balls! How about it?!"

While Shino quietly considered the pros and cons of strangling his teammate into silence, Sakura simply stood there, staring off to the distance, arms resting sedately by her side, pulling off a rather faithful impersonation of the stolid Shino. Even Kiba's brazen call to arms failed to rouse her from her stupor, for unexpected congestion had suddenly possessed her head, bringing all coherent thought processes to a grinding halt. She was currently trying to make sense of the mental block which her subconscious had imposed, but she could not even begin to budge the concrete block which now walled off a tiny piece of her mind from the rest...

But Inner Sakura was not the type to give up so easily, as she eyed the unwelcome barrier with a growl of irritation. She then rolled up her sleeves, walked up to the wall, and, with an unintelligible howl, she began to push with all her might... after several moments of terrific straining and grunting, finally, a single drop began to emerge from a seam in the walls, nothing more than a hint of the crystal clarity imprisoned inside. But Inner Sakura was upon it in a flash, finger thrusting out to dab at the liquid bead -

The walls exploded. And a tsunami of anxiety, bordering on panic, crashed down upon the kuniochi, immersing her in the unmistakable yet unexplainable emotion -

Entirely on reflex, Outer Sakura suddenly blurted out: "Wait!"

Kiba had been galloping in circles around the motionless hands-in-pockets Shino, hooting and hollering, much like how a tribe of scalp-crazed Indians would do the same with a circle of covered wagons. But at Sakura's outburst, Kiba skidded to a stop, and the two young men turned around in confusion.

The dog boy was the only one to speak: "Huh?!"

Ears ablaze in embarrassment, Sakura hastily jabbered: "I mean, no, don't wait! Kiba's right, Shino-san, you don't have to wait. I mean, um, if you want to, go ahead and date - I mean, go ahead and ask her out on a date, it's just one date, after all."

Kiba and Shino had a hard time following the onrush of words streaming out of her mouth, but Shino was pretty sure he had heard them correctly. And with those sunglasses staring down, he repeated her last few words: "Just one date?"

For no particular reason, the sight of those sunglasses was suddenly too much for her to bear. And she looked down to the ground, hurriedly explaining herself to her feet: "Well, one date doesn't mean much, right? I mean, all you're doing is getting to know her a little, that's all. If you find out you don't like her, you don't have to see her anymore, of course, I'm not saying that you shouldn't see her, if you two get along just great, then of course, you should keep on dating her..."

The rapid-fire rambling trailed off, and Sakura finally had the courage to look up from her little pink toes. And predictably enough, Kiba and Shino were gaping at her with vacant expressions on their faces. But then a shadow of understanding settled over the bug boy's forehead, as he slowly said, "I see. Just getting to know her a little."

An enthusiastic nod. "That's right, Shino-san! You're just getting to know her a little, that's all - "

"Come on, man, what're you waiting for?!" Kiba slammed a hand onto Shino's shoulder, the fearful impact actually causing the immovable bug boy to waver a bit. "It's not like anyone's stopping you!"

"Mmm." Shino had turned his head to look at the dog boy's hand on his shoulder, but now he looked back to Sakura. "You're right, Kiba. No one's stopping me."

A nervous laugh from her. "That's right, Shino-san! No one's stopping you! Hahaha... wooo!" She fanned some air over her hot face. "Oh boy, look at me, this really is so embarrassing! I guess I'm not used to talking about this sort of stuff, hahaha!"

"Mmm."

Kiba was grining from ear to ear, as was Akamaru. "So, it's settled, then? You gonna ask out Ino tomorrow?!"

Shino nodded. "It looks like it."

"Yeeeee hooo! That's what I wanted to hear! Damn Shino, you all grown up now!" Kiba started to do handsprings around the other two, all the while singing: "Shino and Ino, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G ..."

While the ever-obnoxious Kiba and Akamaru celebrated the joyous occasion together, Shino was just about ready to go. He was already turning to leave, as he bowed his head in Sakura's direction. "You have a good night, Sakura-san - " A pause. "Sakura-san, may I ask you a question about Ino?"

"Oh, of course!" A titter now. "After all, I'm here to help! Haha, haha..."

"Mmm. At what time will Ino be working at her mother's flower shop tomorrow?"

"Well, if memory serves me correctly... from ten to six o'clock? I'm pretty sure it's ten to six... oh, and she gets a lunch break at one."

"I see. I suppose I will be at the shop around one o'clock, then." Shino looked off to the setting sun now, two halos of fiery orange burning within his lenses. And the burning lenses scoured the horizon, searching for an elusive something... then he asked almost abstractly: "Sakura-san, could you also be there at one?"

"Wha?!" Sakura could not have been more shocked if Shino had dropped his pants and mooned her. "Why?!"

He had not moved a muscle, the sun still burning in his glasses and bathing its nurturing warmth over his obscured face. "I will most likely be nervous, and I am afraid I will have no idea what to say." His head now turned towards her, the lenses switching out the heavenly body of illumination in favor of Sakura's face. "I may need your assistance. If you could spare the time, of course."

A moody fog had been settling over her, but the sunny disposition now returned in full force, her face assuming its own reflection of the rosy sunset. "Sure, Shino-san, no problem! One o'clock it is."

"Thank you." A bow of the head. "You have a good night, Sakura-san."

"You too, Shino-san!" A cheerful wave from her, as the bug boy was already on his way down the street. "See you tomorrow!"

"Oi!" Kiba finally stopped bouncing around, and he settled into a crouch next to Sakura. "Later, Shino!"

Akamaru bid farewell to one of his favorite human buddies: "Arf!"

"Mmm." The bug boy did not bother to look back as he briefly waved in the general direction of Konoha's K-9 corps...

"Hah, that's our bug freak for ya!" Kiba grinned as he stood up straight now. "Damn, Sakura, I gotta say, this is crazy!"

Sakura looked to Kiba. "What's crazy?"

"Hey, don't get me wrong, Shino's a good guy and all, but..." A head shake of disbelief, accompanied by a chortle. "I didn't think that a girl could ever fall for a guy like him."

A little laugh of her own, as she watched Shino disappear around the corner. "Yeah, it is kinda crazy, huh?"

* * *

A few hours later, Sakura was in front of her immaculate pearly-white bathroom sink and staring intently at her reflection in the mirror, the green eyes focusing somewhat on the madly foaming mouth as she furiously brushed away at her teeth. However, her powerful intellect was not contemplating the nuances of dental hygiene; her mind was far too sophisticated to waste itself on such mundane topics. Rather, her immense mental faculties were busy occupying themselves with a matter of much more significance. They were now revolving about a particular hypothesis of the utmost importance - a theorem concerning one of life's truths, actually - which she had recently formed within the framework of her mind... 

"Bah, Ino isn't that sexy!"

With a trace of pent-up malice, she fired out a glob of saliva and Colgate from her mouth. And she said once again, with more conviction and less indignation: "Yeah, Ino isn't that sexy at all!"

A couple last hectic scrubs with the brush. Another missile of foamy coagulated saliva impacted against the bottom of the sink. Gargling of water, followed by gargling of Cool Mint Listerine. Then the bathroom light was off, and Sakura herself was off to bed, throwing herself on top of the sheets and staring up at the ivory plaster ceiling -

She abruptly sat up with a restless groan. And after a moment, she reached over to the foot of her bed to pick up a rather large, dumpy, and roly poly teddy bear dressed in a cute blueberry terrycloth raincoat. His name was Mr. Chubbs, and he had the distinct honor of being the one and only stuffed animal who still resided on her mattress (all of her other stuffed toys had been banished to the closet years ago). And right now, she yearned for some of that comfortingly warm and fuzzy solace which Mr. Chubbs offered in spades.

With a wistful sigh, she sat in the middle of her bed cross-legged, hugging Mr. Chubbs closely to herself, his plushy nose burrowed into her sternum, her hard chin buried inside the cushiony softness of the teddy bear's somewhat lopsided forehead... and as always, now that the therapeutic Mr. Chubbs was here to soothe her nerves, everything was suddenly becoming so clear to her.

"Gentlemen prefer blondes," she muttered to herself. God, she hated that figure of speech with a volcanic passion. Ino had constantly reminded Sakura of that accursed line all the freaking time during their initial clashes over Sasuke-kun. Recently, however, she had not brought it up, due to the possibility of overusage lessening its effectiveness. But today, now that GQ Shino had popped up out of nowhere, Ino had dusted off the rust and whipped out her favorite verbal jab, obviously having no qualms about needling Sakura with those incisively teasing words.

And the worst part was that, today, those words had their intended effect. Even now, the age-old retort still gnawed away at Sakura, its toothless gums closed over her entire head and chewing away, her skull thoroughly wrapped inside a dull numbing coat of pain. Usually, the irritation was nowhere near this bad. Most of the time, she would just bark something back at Ino, and then shrug it off like she would a wayward autmun leaf which had landed on a shoulder. But today, those words were grinding away at Sakura something vicious. And it was all because of that darned Shino.

And now, for the umpteenth time today, she replayed that one scene inside her head...

flashback "Oh Shino-san, don't you know? Gentlemen prefers blondes!" Ino shot a mischeivous smirk over to Sakura. "Everyone knows that, right?" /flashback

And now, what did that retard Shino have to say to that?

flashback "I suppose." /flashback

Ohhh, those two simple words. He had uttered them with such innocence and naivety, and yet...

Sakura closed her eyes and sunk her face into the pillowy depths of Mr. Chubbs. Betrayal in its purest form. Shino was playing Brutus to her Julius Caesar, with Ino playing the role of the sharp-tongued dagger which Brutus had wielded -

Outer Sakura and Inner Sakura were now one, as they both howled, "Damn it, Shino! I thought we were friends! How could you, no, how DARE you side with Ino over me?! Arrrrr!"

She gave Mr. Chubbs a violent squeeze, then calmed down somewhat as the irrepressible tide of rationalization and apologism now took its turn in the cycle of internal conflict. Well, maybe Shino was just being diplomatic and did not want to cause a scene. After all, Ino was more immature than Sakura (in Sakura's opinion, of course), and the prideful blonde would have probably gone ballistic if Shino had disagreed with her. Yes, yes, that was it. Shino was a keen guy; he probably sensed that the whole situation was just one big elaborate booby trap, and thus, he tread carefully...

Or maybe, just maybe, Shino really did agree with Ino. He believed that gentlemen preferred blondes, and he did find blondes more attractive. And he had merely been silent out of consideration for Sakura's feelings... in that case, well, maybe his thought process was somewhat understandable. After all, Ino had looked like the second coming of Cinderella today, while on the other hand, Sakura had looked like a coal miner who had just extracted herself from the wells of sooty hell... as one could see, the wave of rationalization had not lost any of its momentum within Sakura -

Inner Sakura jumped to her feet with a defiant bellow: "Hell no! I'm way sexier than Ino!" And Outer Sakura followed her inner self's lead, jumping off the bed with her teeth and fists tightly clenched. And with a stomp more befitting of a monstrous behemoth than a slender pink-haired girl, she made her way to the middle of the room, so that she could examine herself in the full-length mirror by her closet.

And much to her chagrin, all she saw was a 13 year old kid. A 13 year girl who was totally swamped inside the folds of considerably oversized cotton-candy-printed pajamas, her hips and curves reduced to the most minimal of swells...

Heaving out a gigantic windy sigh, Sakura tugged half-heartedly at her jammies, wondering where all her endowments had gone. She had breached the ranks of puberty quite a long while ago, and she had thought that she was coming along quite nicely, albeit a bit slowly... but apparently not, according to her mirror. What would a guy like Shino find attractive in a girl like her anyway? Especially when he spent most of his days staring at that voluptuous vixen Kurenai-sensei from behind those glasses of his (Sakura was ivy green envious of that jounin's body, in case you couldn't tell)...

Sakura now turned to scrutinize her profile from the side, and she thought, well, her body wasn't entirely hopeless. True, her body was nothing more than shallow bumps inside the pajamas. But these pajamas were really freaking huge, with probably more surface area than the sails of a good-sized yacht...

Her hands pulled down the shirt's front, while her chest pulled up, thanks to the inhalation of a deep breath. And as the wispy cloth stretched out tight over her bosoms, baring a rather swollen and indiscreet outline of what lay underneath, she held stationary for a moment to smile happily at the mirror. There we go. There they were. They had just been hiding all this time. And yes, just as she remembered, they were progressing quite nicely indeed...

Her chest deflated now with a mighty exhale, and the baggy shirt asserted its customary dominance once again. But she did not care, as she now turned her attention to the hips and legs. Now that she thought about it, a guy like Shino, he seemed like he would go more for the legs than the boobs. Yes, he seemed more of a legs guy. A hips guy. A tush guy...

Therefore, Sakura now examined her hips and tush with great interest. And the hands now pulled at the front of her pants, the pajama-induced shapelessness now giving way to reveal yet another rather indiscreet outline of curves and swells. This time, however, the outline was of her posterior, not her torso. But the results were the same: a satisfied smile on Sakura's part.

Ah yes indeed, if she had to say so herself, she had a nice shapely tush indeed. True, her hips were her mother's hips: a bit on the big and round side. But they held together quite nicely, carving out a pleasantly supple sculpture of fullness underneath the skin-tight cloth drawn over them... besides, bigger butts were rapidly becoming the standard for sexiness (thank god for Jennifer Lopez, Sakura said to herself)...

Ok, so she wasn't quite Kurenai-sensei. But she sure as hell was sexier than Ino Pig! Just imagine what would happen to a boy if Sakura gave him a double dose of...

This! Sakura's hands enveloped her body, drawing taut her pajamas in all the right places as she showcased her entire feminine appeal for the mirror to appreciate. And the girl in the mirror liked what she saw, as she beamed at the outlandishingly sexy kuniochi before her. A wonderfully cheerful and carefree sight for all the boys to drool at, Sakura was sure... now, to try something else... she turned away from the mirror with an air of indifference -

She suddenly whirled about her upper body, with a devil-may-care toss of the silky hair, shooting an evil eye over her shoulder as she nestled her bosoms inside her cradling arms, hoisting them up for all to see. No more happy girl dancing in the flower fields. This was the demonic seductress now. She liked who she saw standing over there across the room. And she wanted some, she wanted a piece of that. And this seductress always got what she wanted.

With a little snarl, Sakura's muzzle extended forward to snap at the mirror, and the sight summoned forth goosebumps along her neck and arms. Wow, if she wasn't mistaken, she was somehow managing to seduce herself?! What a predator she was! Surely no man-prey could escape from these great claws of hers! No way, not a chance!

And so it went, Sakura shifting from one role to the next, twisting and contorting her body into all sorts of sexy sinuous poses, shooting glares and stares so sultry, they would have sent even the Pope sweating and stumbling for the nearest confessional booth. Egging herself on in a manner similar to how a photographer talked to a swimsuit model slithering on a sandy beach, as the imaginary camera shutter madly clicked in glee, accompanied by countless flash bulbs. Her pompous thoughts began to spiral towards the heavenly realm of nonsense...

She was not just sexy. She was beyond sexy. She was a goddess. She was an icon. Girls like Ino? They were merely homely peasants, while she was Sakura Haruno, man killer extraordinaire! The savant of seduction! The duchess of desire! The queen of all things carnal! The princess of primal -

Her mom's voice filtered through the closed bedroom door: "Sakura, remember to turn off your light before you go to bed!"

Sakura promptly uncorked herself from one of her super posedowns. And with Gai-sensei speed and quickness, the "queen of all things carnal" torpedoed into and under her bed covers, yanking the baby pink sheets over her flamingly beet-red face of shame. And she called out from behind the quilt she had knitted in kindergarten, too embarrassed to show herself to the world, using her good little schoolgirl voice of total obedience and innocence:

"I'll turn them off, Mom! Don't worry!"

"Okay, Sakura sweetie, you have a good night's sleep then!"

"You too, Mom!"

Then she tightly held her breath, heart pounding mercilessly against her rib cage as she wondered if Mom had caught a whiff of the sultry sleaze that had been going on inside the room of her perfect angel of a daughter. But nope, apparently not. The only witness was her best fuzzy buddy, Mr. Chubbs. And of course, all of her secrets were safe with him.

Sakura released the stale air within her with an expelled "Pah!" And she started to wonder about what the hell had come over her. She hadn't done anything like this since... well, since... since the day she found out that Sasuke-kun was going to be her teammate. Oh boy, she had spent at least five hours in front of the mirror that night, inspecting and fretting over practically every square millimeter of her hair, face, and body...

And now, she was doing this because of... because of... Shino-san.

"No!" The squeaky Sakura actually voiced out loud her inner denial, as she tossed aside the blankets and sat up to reel Mr. Chubbs into her arms for strength and support. Stop thinking such silly and ridiculous things, Sakura! It didn't matter if Shino had actually agreed with Ino concerning that stupid issue regarding male preference for blondes. It didn't matter if he preferred pink hair, or blonde hair, or black hair, or whatever. The path had already been cleared, and the stage was all set. Shino said that he was going to ask out Ino on a date, and tomorrow, he was going to do just that.

And then, after those two got to know each other a little, they would start dating for real. Sakura just knew it. Ino was a very attractive girl, and there was no way Shino could not like her. At least from what Sakura could forsee. Of course, Ino had her shortcomings, but overall, she really was a fun girl to hang with (hence, the reason why Sakura put up with their love/hate rivalry). A fun and energetic girl, certainly very pretty, just smart enough for a seemingly scholarly-type like Shino... a tad on the bossy side, of course. However, if Sakura's time with Shino was any indication, Shino didn't seem to mind bossy women (Sakura didn't really consider herself to be bossy, though. More like, uh, firm and strong-willed...)

But it would be all right if Ino and Shino became an item. After all, such a pairing would practically ensure that Sakura and Sasuke-kun would forever be together, and that would be just fine. Ino and Shino would have their own fun and happiness, of course. And so would Sakura and Sasuke. Sakura would have so much fun and be so happy, because really, whenever she was with Sasuke-kun, she was always so... uh, happy... and, um, having so much fun...

An impossibly heavy burden of gloom jumped onto her back, and she nearly collapsed from the weight, managing to stay upright only because of the polyester strength of Mr. Chubbs underneath her chin. And for no good reason whatsoever, she wondered about when was the last time she and Sasuke-kun had smiled together - no, check that. Had the two of them EVER smiled together? No, check that. Had Sasuke-kun ever even smiled in her presence?!

Sadly enough, after racking the annals of her brain for any possible references, the conclusion she came to was this: no, he had not.

She did not even know why she was doubting Sasuke-kun right now. His actions obviously indicated that he did care for her, that much was a given. He had put his life on the line for her on several different occassions. He had also, um... uh... hmm, what else had he done for her... come on, he had to have done something else for her...

Well, okay. Maybe not. So far, it seemed that Sasuke-kun could show his support for her only if her life was threatened. And so far, her life had been seriously threatened twice over the past two years. Which meant that, basically, if this pattern held true for the rest of her life... on one day out of every year, she would feel like she was on top of the world, the reigning princess over Cloud Nine, the most happiest woman of all time. So, if she lived for, say, fifty more years, that meant she would have roughly fifty more days of pure joy and happiness to look forward to.

But as for the other 364 days per each of the next fifty years? In other words, for the other 18,200 days of her probably life? Each day, numerous smiles and loving words on her part, reciprocated by bored and aloof harrumphs on his part. Multiplied by 18,200 -

Sakura shook herself free from the staggering figures mounting inside her head. Come on, this was all just silly conjecture, really. Sasuke would not always be like this, of course. He would eventually open up to her. Someday, with endearing and healing words of adoration, he would open himself up and wash away all the bruises that had accumulated inside her. The bruises caused by the countless times she had run to him - hoping for something, anything in return - only to be rudely bumped back by his cold hard shoulder. Someday, he would truly see her for what she was, what she needed, and he would respect her as an equal in their relationship. Someday, he would finally be able to find peace of mind, after killing his brother... hmm, something about that last one, it didn't quite sound right to Sakura, now that she thought about it...

And who was the cause of all these doubts sprouting out from her? Shino-san?! Well, actually... Shino had not been the first one. This was not the first time she had had these doubts...

Lee-san, actually, had been the first one. But although Lee-san was such a sweet and determined boy, the poor guy was just too, um, unique-looking. Waaay too unique-looking, as a matter of fact. Great friend material to be sure, one whom she would be forever indebted to. But not someone she could picture herself spending the rest of her life with...

There had been one other boy, too. One who stirred up those doubts about her and Sasuke-kun. After she found out that he had saved her from Gaara, it had taken her two or three days to come to terms with the fact that she found Naruto, of all freaking people, to be rather attractive. Which wasn't too farfetched of a concept, really. He was a good-hearted and earnest boy, with amazing admirable willpower and determination...

But unfortunately, if she spent even five minutes with him, she was always rudely reminded of the fact that he was sooooo annoying and immature. In some ways, he was like a broken record player, his every other line being, "Someday, I am going to become Hokage!" It also didn't help that he was incredibly ignorant about almost every topic imaginable, exceptions being the few jutsus which he had mastered. Attempting to carry on a conversation of any meaningful weight with Naruto was like getting a root canal at the dentist's office: agonizing excruciating drawn-out pain, the only difference being that, during a root canal, there was always the option of knocking herself out with anesthesia if the pain became too great...

And now, here was Shino-san. And really, now that she thought about it, what was the big deal about him? After all, it wasn't as if Shino-san was God's gift to women. So what if he had turned out to be a lot cuter than she had expected? He was just a rather handsome guy, that's all ... well, okay, he was also a pretty nice guy. And amazingly patient, too. Try as hard as she might, she simply could not think of a single instance where he had snapped at her out of ill temper...

Okay, but that's all there was to him. A nice quiet guy. A cool cute guy, to be sure. But that was all ... okay, okay, he also seemed pretty smart, too. And astonishingly mature for his age ... and he was even pretty darned funny, in a droll, goofy, absent-minded way... that image of the dazed, barbecued, and smoking Shino. That picture of the bug boy sitting up after barely avoiding her Katon Gokakyuu. It never failed to bring a smile to her face... and even then, she remembered, he had not been mad, or cold, or bitter towards her -

No, no, Sakura told herself, as she stopped her current train of thought at the nearest station. Her brain then transferred itself to a different train heading in the opposite direction... okay, okay, so Shino-san was a nice guy and all. But he wasn't perfect by any means. He had his flaws, too, just like everyone else. He was quite dull and boring. She never did have fun with him -

No, no, that was not true, she wasn't being fair to Shino-san. She had actually enjoyed the time she spent with him. A pleasant surprise, indeed, considering that when she had first met him, she had expected him to be incredibly dry and wooden, liable to catch fire at any moment if he got too close to an open flame...

Flaws, flaws, what flaws did he have... well, he did have many of them, she supposed. For instance, he always changed the subject whenever she asked him about his ninja techniques... yeah, that was a major flaw! Uh, sort of... let's see... he also had an unhealthy obsession with corduroy... and, uh, he always wore sunglasses, too. Only weirdos did that... hmm, there were some other things, too... his hair was totally unmanageable...

No. She could not allow herself to stray like this. With a shake of the head, Sakura wiped her slate clean of all these frivolous thoughts. This was a trial of love, and she was going to plow through it, damn it. Sasuke-kun had only been gone a week, and already, she was having all these doubts?! If she could not even stay faithful for a week to Sasuke-kun, what was the worth of true love, anyway?

But even as she told this to herself, she knew that there were numerous gaping chinks in the armor of her denial. This was not a trial of any sort. This was not a result of what has been happening over the past week. This has been going on ever since the first day she and Sasuke had become teammates, when she and Sasuke had begun their overwhelmingly lopsided and unfair relationship...

Normally, every night just before she went to bed, Sakura would open up her diary and write down her final thoughts for the day. But tonight, she did not feel like pulling out her diary from underneath her mattress. She did not feel like sorting out the thoughts from the murky muddlesome muck of her mind. She did not feel like recounting the whirlwind of today's events. She was too sleepy. Tired. Confused. And also, a little bit... afraid.

Afraid that once she began to write, her pen might break away from her and start to scratch on its own. Free to scratch out certain thoughts. Free to elaborate upon the faintest of hopes and desires which might be budding within her, hopes and desires which she might be harboring within the deepest darkest recesses of her mind...

Hopes and desires that she refuses to acknowledge, solely because she is afraid that they will be dashed to smithereens by stark reality. One of her dreams is already slowly but surely being crushed by the cruelness of reality, buckling further and further with each cold shoulder turned upon her by Sasuke...

She does not think she would be able to bear it if this dream met a similar fate.

CHAPTER ENDS

Author's Notes: Wow, a lot of reviews for the last chappie! Man, I cannot say this enough, I luuuuuv reviews, plz keep sending them in! And dammit, I had another fierce bout of writer's block (hence, the unusually longer time to update). But I couldn't give up, I had to crank this one out for the fans! ... ok, sorry, no more delusions of heroics from me... so, you guys wondering what's gonna happen next chappie? Well, all I can say is... uh... stay tuned! Same bug time! Same bug channel!

RESPONSES TO CHAPTER 7-8 REVIEWS:

Chelsey-Chan: Of course Jiraiya will never change, he's FIFTY years old. Too old to change by now, I'd think... and there ya go, Shino's gone on his shopping trip. Glad you like the fic!

Alucard Crimson: Lol, Shino is "yummy"?! Well, I'm glad you think of him that way, cuz that's how I tried to portray him!

Tasha3: Wondering what will happen with Ino, huh? Well, you'll just have to wait and see what happens! Thanx for reading!

Kinumi: Sakura want Shino for herself? Gasp, that would never happen! Or would it?!

Shino Bee: Believe me, I'm trying to spit this story out as fast as possible too. But at the same time, I want to uphold a certain standard of quality whenever I write. Thus, the time it takes...

Alden-San: InoNaruto?! Lol. Well, they're both noisy blondes...

Eimii: Whoa, more crazy ideas for possible Sakura techniques! Interesting... and yes, I know that I sometimes go back and forth between past and present tense. Most of the time, it's accidental. But sometimes, it's intentional. I can't help it, I know it's grammatically incorrect, and I usually try to stay in past tense. But sometimes, certain passages just seem to make more sense in present tense; so I just give in to my instincts and write them out in present tense... and you're right about my fic intentionally keeping Shino a cypher. Still too early to reveal anything going on inside his head, although there are hints now... as for how long this fic will go on? Hmm, according to this little outline I've written up, there will be at least 8 more chapters...

Amy: Actually, I love corduroy for the exact reasons which Shino described. Except for the part about corduroy being ideal clothing for a ninja, since I am obviously not a ninja... as for this other story I'm tossing about in my head? Sorry, it does not feature Shino. It's a story revolving around the Villages of Sound and Sand...

ccslover: Glad you loved it, hehe. And feel to free draw! Man, I'm envious, I can't draw worth crap.

ice tenshi: We'll just have to wait and see, won't we? This story is FAR from over, hehe...

Peter Kim: Rest assured, Sakura is not going to brawl with Naruto or Sasuke without a good reason, hehe. As for Akatsuki and Itachi? Well, I can't make any promises, but they might make an appearance...

Relena: You're wondering if this is a SasuSaku fic? InoShika? Sorry, can't tell yet, I'm a tease! :-)

Kerrie-Chan, Mai-V, lovelydarkness, Dark Nemesis 7, kokorodragon: Glad you like it, thanks for reading!


	10. The Four Rules

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters affiliated with Naruto. 

Official Theme Song for this chapter: "The Distance" by Cake

At the bottom of each chapter, there are responses to reviews from the previous chapter. After all, this story is written for the fans, it would be negligent of me to not respond!

CHAPTER BEGINS..

The Aburame clan of Konoha Village. The clan whose famous reputation (or not so famous, considering their understated profile) revolved around their symbiotic relationship with Kikai bugs, a species of insect known for its unique ability to suck Chakra from its prey. The Aburame clan is a small one, as far as Konoha clans go. All of its members are nested entirely within one suburban block, this block located near the base of the mountain hosting the four proud faces of the Hokage Memorial. Interestingly enough, the homes seem quite normal, despite the clan's reputation for weirdness and reclusiveness. Simple houses and condominiums, their front yards neat and tidy, adorned with things that you would find in Home & Garden magazines. Empty love swings hanging in the front porch, waiting for a starry eyed couple to come along. Cheerful lawn gnomes with their raised hands frozen in a perpetual welcome. Blooming bushes pruned to the shapes of animals (mostly bug shapes, actually) ...

All of the homes are pretty much the same size and build: small, compact, cozy. But the home that seems to leap to the forefront is a blindingly white one situated in the center of the neighborhood block's southern side. The home which faces most directly in towards the rest of Konoha Village. This happens to be the home of the clan's leader and the clan's heir. It is the home of Saito Aburame and Shino Aburame.

* * *

The household of an Aburame family is not an entirely normal one, of course. After all, an Aburame household is the only household where the mother will smile happily if she sees her baby laughing and playing with bugs swarming all over his body. Any other mother, obviously, is guaranteed to do a combination of the following: erupt into paroxysms of hysteria, sweep up her poor little baby inside her arms, and/or immediately place a call to the local pest control experts.

Of course, in Shino's home, such a situation could never possibly occur, mostly because of two reasons. Reason number one. He and his father have no need for exterminators; their bugs sweep through the house nightly, killing and consuming all who have invaded: rats, mice, spiders, centipedes, cockroaches, you name it. And reason number two. Shino and his father, they have no mother or wife who worries over them, or threatens to sweep them into her arms at any moment.

There was once a woman who did those things. But not any more, not for the past seven years, at least. Because she is now dead.

* * *

A grunt of displeasure from Shino Aburame: "Hmmph."

He stared at the hopelessly splintered eggshell in his hands, crumbs of hardness speckling his fingers, gooey innards of yolk and egg white dripping all over the place. Well, that didn't turn out so well...

It must have been a fluke, he told himself. It couldn't be this hard to crack open an egg. He wiped his hands clean with the kitchen's resident hand towel, then took out another egg from the two-dozen carton. He had been somewhat careful on the previous attempt, but now, with almost unbearably exquisite care, he gently tapped this new egg against the rim of a ceramic bowl. A neat little fissure formed before his bare eyes (Shino did not wear his sunglasses inside his house), and his thumbs now hooked into the sliver of an opening, thumbnails wedging their way in. Then slowly but surely, he began to pull apart the eggshell. And just like the previous one, this eggshell was stubbornly resisting his efforts -

The eggshell suddenly gave way, imploding inside his hands, the shell disintegrating into another gunky mess. Another grunt from Shino, as he did the best he could to maneuver the whites and yolk into the bowl below...

A deep voice sounded from behind Shino, a voice considerably deeper than even the abnormally low voice of the thirteen year old: "You're up early today."

Shino replied in his usual deadpan, eyes still focused on task at hand: "Hey pops."

His father, Saito Aburame, pulled to a stop by his son. Shino was tall for his age, but his father was considerably taller; thus, it was with ease that Saito looked over the shoulder of his son. And he chuckled, for the composition of the bowl's contents seemed to be two third's egg fluid and one third's eggshell shards. "Looks like you are having some trouble there."

"Mmm." Shino nodded. "It is odd. I did not think it would be this hard to crack open eggs."

"You have never cracked eggs before?" Although an ephemeral hint of surprise was audible in Saito's voice, the adult man's face was deadpan. Basically a leathery and hardened version of Shino's own baby-smooth deadpan. They were also dressed very similar, both wearing towering coats and lengthy shorts (the colors of Saito's clothes were a bit darker than his son's, however). And if at all possible, Saito's hair was even wilder than Shino's unruly mop ... as one could see, in this household, the apples did not fall very far from the tree they grew from.

Shino knew why his father was surprised. Although his father made it a point to cook breakfast for the both of them every morning (the only time of the day when they were guaranteed to be in the house at the same time), Shino was usually fending for himself during lunch and dinner, thanks to their differing schedules. Thus, Shino usually prepared those meals for himself (it was fiscally impractical to constantly eat take-out food from restaurants). And over time, he had become a passable cook of sorts, usually knowing what he was doing around the kitchen ...

"I only eat the eggs you prepare in the morning," Shino said, to explain his inadequacy at the fine art of egg handling. "I never cook them for lunch or dinner."

"Ah." Saito's deadpan seemed to grin at that. "Let me show you how it's done, then."

He retrieved an egg from the open carton on the counter, and he softly whacked it against the bowl's rim. But instead of stopping there, like Shino had done, Saito then rolled the egg over a tad more, and whacked it once again. Saito then held up the egg for Shino's eyes, showing the rather lengthy crack which now circumvented the shell. "You have to make sure the crack is long enough before you break it open."

"Mmm," was Shino's response of comprehension.

Saito then popped open the egg into two neat ivory halves, and the contents smoothly dropped into the awaiting bowl. "And there we go. Not a problem."

"Nice trick."

"It is, isn't it? I can not take credit for it, though. Your mother had to show it to me when I first tried to help her in the kitchen."

"Hmm." Both of the Aburame men faintly grinned at that (yes, Shino DOES grin, apparently), and Saito then shooed away Shino from the kitchen counter. "Go away, it is my job as man of the house to make breakfast around here."

The son obeyed the father, as his sock-clad feet wandered over the wrinkly white linoleum floor, heading towards a solid oaken chair by the matching oaken kitchen table. As Shino took a seat and Saito cracked eggs, Saito commented: "What is the special occasion?"

"Special occasion?" Shino was rubbing his eyes rather tiredly. "Why do you say that?"

Saito noted that the counter was already cluttered with the necessary ingredients for a killer Southwestern omelet: chopped ham, pepper jack cheese, green onions, cobless corn, green chiles. An oiled pan was also hot and ready on the stovetop ... "You never wake up before I do, but today, here we are. At the crack of dawn, you're cooking breakfast for yourself, and it looks like you've been awake for a while." 

"Mmm. I wanted to make sure I caught you before you left for the day."

"Oh really?" Saito was now dumping everything into the pan, kicking up a storm of raucous oily popping and sizzling. "Is there something you want to talk about?" 

"Yes." Shino was yawning now. "I am going to ask out a girl today, but - "

The genin blinked to see that his father was already sitting in the chair next to him, Saito's arms already crossed knowingly. And Saito calmly nodded to himself. "So, my son, you are about to take your first step into the world of romance. Congratulations."

"Mmm, thanks." Shino seemed a bit hesitant now. "Pops, I am going to ask out a girl today, but honestly ... I am not sure if I am doing the right thing - "

"My son, you fear and doubt yourself needlessly."

"Hmm?" Shino did not quite understand his father's words. "What do you mean?"

"Shino, what I am trying to say is this. No woman can resist the magnetic charisma of an Aburame man."

"Hmm?" Although he did not show it, Shino could not have been more stunned if his father had suddenly laid him out with a hickory 2x4 to the forehead. "Why do you say that?"

Saito nodded, as he continued in his deadpan voice: "We Aburame men are everything that a woman would want. Tall, dark, smart, handsome, funny, and adorably charming."

Obviously 'modest' was not a part of the list, Shino thought to himself ... it was interesting to note, however, that his father had not taken the air of someone who was boasting or bragging. His father was simply stating this as if it was obvious fact ... Shino found it quite funny, actually. And he now took the opportunity to express his amusement.

"Ha ha. Ha ha."

Saito interrupted his son's 'laughter', for he was not done yet: "How else do you think I was able to catch such a fine woman like your mother? You should have seen your mother when she was growing up, she was the queen of the village. And so many men chased after her, only to be rebutted time and time again. It didn't matter who the men were, either. Hyuugas, Uchihas, Inuzukas, Naras - "

Saito paused. "Actually, I take that back about the Naras. Shikato was too lazy to chase after women. But anyways, you get the idea. Your mother turned them all back, but once I walked up to her doorstep, she took my hand and never looked back." He nodded self-importantly now. "We Aburame men are the Cupids of Konoha, my son. Never forget that."

Shino, with all honesty: "I had no idea."

"Mmm." Saito now intoned with the gravity of a reverend at a funeral: "Very few people know about the irresistible charisma and magnetism of an Aburame man. Even your mother had no idea what she was getting into when she started dating me."

"I see." Shino had a little notepad out now on the kitchen table, ready to take notes. "Tell me, pops, what technique did you use to ask out mother on your first date together?"

"Ah, a very good question ..."

Saito paused as his son waited. Shino's pen hovering over the notepad, the son was very still now and listening very intently, ready to absorb his father's wisdom ... the kitchen was absolutely silent, save for the angry hisses and pops from the frying pan, and the hollowed ticks and tocks from the ponderous pendulum of the majestic grandfather clock out in the hallway ... then Saito finally said:

"Dancing."

A blink from Shino. "Dancing?"

"We were sixteen years old, and I asked your mother out to a dance."

"Mmm. How did it go?"

"It went very well, of course. Throughout the generations, we Aburame men have always been great dancers."

"So Mother fell in love with you because ... you are a good dancer?" That didn't quite sound right to Shino.

"No, of course not. That is not the reason why she fell in love with me. But my dancing jutsus did help me reel her in, initially."

"Dancing jutsus?" Shino's face and voice finally broke out of the deadpan, projecting to a higher eyebrow and tone of disbelief: "Our clan has dancing jutsus?!"

Saito shook his head. "Of course not, Shino. That was just a joke on my part."

The two stonefaced men looked at each other, then shared another invisible grin of amusement as they actually laughed together.

"Ha ha. Ha ha." That was Shino.

"Ho ho. Ho ho." That was Saito.

Having indulged in their moment of uproarious hilarity, Shino was now back to business, as his brow creased into profound contemplation. "Hmm ... pops, are you sure that we Aburame men are good dancers?"

"Positive. Why do you even ask?"

"Well, because ..." Shino twitched his nose now. "I am not a good dancer."

"Impossible," was Saito's immediate reply. "Why do you say that?"

"Well, because I have tried dancing before. And I looked terrible while doing so."

Saito was clearly skeptical of his son's self-assessment. "Are you sure? When have you ever danced before? Have you gone to a club recently with your teammates?"

Shino was somewhat tight-lipped now. "No, I have not gone to any clubs. I just know that I am not a good dancer."

Saito recognized that tight-lipped expression on his son's face. His son was trying to hide something. And failing miserably, as Saito mused, "I see. You have tried dancing by yourself in your room, I presume?"

Shino's lips became so tight, it was as if his cheeks were struggling in a dead-heat battle of tug-o-war with each other. But he remained silent, not denying anything, all but confirming his father's logical deduction about his son's decidedly embarrassing auditions in front of his bedroom mirror ... it was at times like these when Shino wished that his father was not so perceptive about such things ...

The father mused out loud, "Mmm, I see. An Aburame man who cannot dance ... well, it is not entirely unheard of. If I recall correctly, your great-grandfather was not much of a dancer, either." His tone turned from nostalgic to assertive. "Well then, my son. You are on your own. However, before I go, let me briefly outline for you the Aburame clan's four rules to dating."

"Mmm. The four rules." Shino said those words with the reverence of a priest kneeling before the altar. And his pen was up and ready again, hovering over the notepad. "What are they?"

"Rule number one. When you ask her out, always bring flowers. Ideally, you should have at least four or five in your hand. On your first date, never bring just one flower. One flower is appropriate only when you and your girl have reached a certain level of intimacy."

"Four or five flowers ..." Shino nodded his head as he scribbled everything down. "Got it."

"Speaking of intimacy, that brings me to my second rule. When you become intimate with her, always wear protection - "

Shino coughed as he interrupted, "Pops, she is not that type of girl. Besides, we are only thirteen."

"Son, you never know. Like I said, we Aburame men are irresistible."

"I don't think I'm that irresistible, Pops. Trust me. It's not going to happen."

"Very well then. We'll save the rest of the second rule for when you get older. Now, rule number three." And Shino was back to writing in the notepad, as his father dictated: "Thoroughly conceal your Kikai on the first few dates, in order to prevent any unnecessary turn-offs. She should know about them, of course, but it would be better to gradually introduce them to her. Once she gets to know you, it will be easier for her to accept your uniqueness."

"Mmm ... I see ... hide the Kikai ..."

"And now, the last rule. Rule number four ... be assertive and bold, my son. Never forget that it is the man's responsibility to take the initiative. If you like a girl, go after her. If she thinks highly of you, she will welcome virtually any approach from you. In short, do not be afraid."

A hint of a grin underneath Shino's deadpan, as he confidently said, "I am not going to be afraid just because this is the first time I shall ask out a girl."

A hint of a grin underneath Saito's deadpan, as he confidently said, "We will see."

* * *

"Hmm hmm hmmmm! Hee hee!"

Ino Yamanaka was humming cheerfully under her breath, busy as a bumblebee as she buzzed around her mother's flower shop, straightening and tidying every loose end in her haphazard path. A potted plant out of position on a shelf over here. A misplaced flower bouquet lying on the floor over there. Ino took care of those two bits of clutter and more, the dutiful worker doing everything which was required of her from her queen (her queen being her mom, in this case). Even Ino's clothing was bee-like, today's color scheme being a bright sunny yellow offset by racy midnight black. Cute little yellow cotton tee-shirt with even cuter yellow sweat socks and wrist bands, while the black consisted of her sneakers, relatively tight knee-length athletic shorts, and a ribbon which held up her hair in a bun.

The cuteness and perkiness emanating from Ino's costume and overall self were quite noticeable, and so far, throughout the day, the majority of the customers had proffered little compliments along the lines of "You look so nice today, Ino-chan!" or "I love what you've done with your hair!" and so on and so forth. Of course, it was only the women customers who said these sort of things. The male customers just went about their business, while their eyes occasionally wandered over to the cute girl at the cash register. The men did not dare to do anything sassy with Ino Yamanaka, however, because half a year ago, she had beaten the crap out of two rude men making passes at her. And for a man, few things were more humiliating than getting thrashed by a thirteen year old girl. Even if she happened to be one of the village's ninja.

But today, Ino was quite certain that she would not mind one bit if a certain boy got a little "sassy" with her. And as she now took her seat behind the cash register, the brass chimes above the entrance rang, the front door swinging in. Ino spun her head about in excitement, her eyes growing large, wondering if this would be the boy -

Nope. Unfortunately, it was not the boy. But it was still a person who made Ino smile, as she waved in delight. "Hi, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura smiled back as she made her way over to the stool by the counter, the place where she customarily sat whenever they chatted, discussed, gossiped, argued, reminisced, etc. "Hi, Ino-chan. How you doing - " She blinked at the overwhelming cuteness of today's sunny yellow version of Ino. "Wow, you look nice today."

"Why thanks!" Ino patted the silk ribbon adorning her head. "I especially love this little thing, my mom bought it for me the other day ... " She faded away as she noticed that something about Sakura seemed a little off today. For some reason, her childhood friend seemed to be a bit on the deadened side. Not quite depressed, but definitely not her usual buoyant self.

Ino asked with more curiosity than concern: "Is something wrong?"

Sakura's eyes had been spacing out towards the analog display of the clock on the wall over Ino's head, but she now snapped out of it. "Huh?" A smile now, as Sakura quickly shook her head. "Oh no, nothing's wrong. I'm just thinking about stuff, that's all."

"Hmm." Ino knew Sakura too well, of course, and she could tell that her friend was considerably bothered at the moment. "Are you sure you're all right?"

Sakura's smile grew even wider in an effort to mollify the equally growing concern of Ino. And she held up a pair of open hands to gesture that, yes, she was just dandy indeed. "I'm fine, Ino, really, I am! I'm ... I'm just a little tired, that's all."

"Mmm. Couldn't sleep well?"

"Yeah, something like that ... say, how did your cousin's prom go last night?"

Ino shrugged. "Oh, it was all right. No big deal. The limo ride was fun, though! I had never been inside a limo before - oh my god, you know what! I can't believe I haven't told you this yet, but on my way to the prom, I ran into that doggy guy Kiba - you know who Kiba is, right? Anyway, I ran into Kiba, who is one of Shino-kun's teammates, and I was asking him all these questions about Shino-kun, and Kiba actually told me that Shino-kun likes me! Omigod, omigod, omigod!"

The blonde kuniochi bowled over the counter top in uncharacteristic red-eared bashfulness, planting her chin onto the cool plywood surface, long angled bangs dangling over her nose. "I wonder if he's gonna ask me out, oooh, I would like that a lot! Oh yes, I would, I would love that so much - omigod, you know what would just be sooo romantic?!"

"What?"

"What if Shino-kun walks into this store right now, picks out a gorgeous arrangements of flowers, walks up to this counter and pays for them, and then ... and then he gives the flowers back to me, saying that they are for me and me only, and he wants to ask me out on a date squeeeeee!"

Sakura blinked as Ino fairly went into seizures of excitement from the mere thought of the fairy tale scenario. Well, it wasn't entirely a fairy tale scenario, actually, since it was now 12:45 PM, fifteen minutes before Shino would arrive at his planned time to ask out Ino-chan ...

Sakura then said rather morosely, "Yes, that would be sweet of him, wouldn't it?" A pause. "And you would say yes?"

Ino promptly sat up, proudly flipping up her bangs over her head, as she proclaimed like a campaigning politician on a podium: "Of course I would say yes! What kind of question is that?!"

A murmur from Sakura: "But what about Sasuke-kun?"

A blink from Ino. "What about Sasuke-kun?"

"I mean, um ... don't you like Sasuke-kun?"

"Oh, of course I like Sasuke-kun! But I'm not going to wait around my entire life for HIM to come around. If I ever find another boy who's just as handsome, attractive, desirable, dependable, you know, all that good stuff? I'm grabbing onto him and never letting go!"

"And you think Shino-san is that boy?"

"Oh, he might be. Then again, he might not. Either way, it couldn't hurt to find out, could it?"

"I see. But ..."

Ino could see what was going on inside her friend's mind, and she grinned as her hands fastened themselves to her hips. "What, you think I'm not being faithful to Sasuke-kun or something?"

"Well, no, I don't think that ... but ..." A sheepish smile from Sakura, as she realized that there was no use in trying to hide from her longest-time friend. "Well, okay, I think that a little."

An exasperated clicking of the tongue from Ino. "Sakura, Sakura, Sakura ... don't tell me you believe in that 'one-true-love-of-my-whole-life' crap! That kind of stuff is for lovesick poets and little children!"

The pink-haired one was too embarrassed to say anything in response, so the blond-haired one continued with a stern waggle of the finger. "Sakura, now, I know what you're thinking. You think I'm playing games here, right? You think I'm jumping around from boy to boy and testing the waters with my tippy toe, right?"

"Well, yeah, I guess ..." Sakura then had to ask: "But you ... you are playing games, right?"

Ino announced with a grandiose voice and widespread arms: "Of course I am! Duh!" She then plopped her elbows back onto the counter. "Listen Sakura, we women may play our own little games, but believe me, those men play their own games, too. The two sides are always locked in a constantly never-ending struggle, fighting on a harrowing battlefield filled with trials and obstacles as people try to find a perfect match ... you do know that, right?"

The empty expression on Sakura's face told Ino everything. And Ino sighed. "You didn't know that, did you?"

Sakura then hastily stammered, trying to escape from the umbrella of ignorance that had spread over her: "Well, I didn't think about it exactly that way, but I've been kinda realizing it lately. Really, I have, really!"

Ino's laughter tinkled at her friend's insistence. "Don't worry, Sakura, I believe you, you're way too smart of a girl to not realize that sooner or later." Ino then assumed the role of lecturer once again. "But of course, Sakura, once you DO find that guy, once you find that guy who you truly think is good for you, you sink your teeth into him and don't let anyone else get near him!" Another tinkling chuckle from Ino now. "But then again, you already know that bit, of course."

Sakura blinked. "I do?"

"Of course! Why else have we been clashing over Sasuke-kun for all these years?! Say, you know what, let's make a deal!" Ino was now wearing a conspiratorial smile, as if the two were about to agree upon a top-secret pact of sorts. "If things work out between me and Shino-kun, you can have Sasuke-kun, okay? I promise I won't bother you about him ever again. Cross my heart and hope to die!"

Sakura was not exactly impressed by her friend's show of "charitable generosity", of course. But she could not help but smile. "Ok, it's a deal, I guess ... but do you really like Shino-san that much? I mean, um, you don't even know him yet."

"Of course I don't know him yet! But that's what dating is for, isn't it?" Ino then squirmed happily in her seat as she recollected yesterday's events. "Oh wow, but I didn't know Shino-kun was that good-looking! Well, but then again, I never got a good look at his face before ... and he was always so quiet, too, I never really noticed him ... " The excitement started to spill over now. "And he was funny yesterday, too! Kinda in a dorky retarded way, of course, but that's just makes it cuter ... ohhh, and he's really strong, too! Remember when he beat the daylights out of that noisy Sound guy in the chuunin exam?! And I heard that, during the Great War, he even defeated one of the guys from that scary Sand team! That's incredible - "

A brief moment of consternation then passed over her pretty face, dampening her enthusiasm. "But if we are going to get together, we are going to have do something about those icky bugs of his. Those bugs probably keep themselves clean, right? Maybe Shino-kun has a tiny bathtub at home for his bugs to use? Hmm, I wonder ... "

Sakura was still silent, and Ino was still rambling: "Maybe Shino-kun will be wearing those super-sharp clothes today? Oooh, that would be nice, don't you think?! But really, it doesn't matter if he's wearing those clothes or not, I already know that he is a total absolute hunk underneath whatever the heck he's wearing! Clothes are just trinkets and stuff, they are not that important ..."

Ino then thought better of what she just said. "Well, hmm, besides, it doesn't matter what he wears right now. After all, if we do start going out, I can just make him wear better clothes! Yes, hee hee, he won't have a choice, he will have to do what I say! Yah ha ha ha!"

The blond had been staring dreamily at the ceiling, thinking about how much fun it would be to dress up Shino-kun ... and now she giggled with a playfully sinister air as she looked to Sakura. "So, what do you think?! Do you think Shino-kun will let me dress him? Maybe I could do something about his hair, too! His hair looks kinda okay in that wild and untamed way, but really, he could do so much more with it - "

Sakura abruptly stood up from her stool, and she almost stammered, "Ino-chan, I, um, I have to go now."

A blink from the blonde. "You do? Where to?"

"I, um, I have to go meet someone ..." A wan smile. "Good luck with Shino-san."

"Oh ... well, okay!" Ino smiled brilliantly and waved goodbye. "See you later, Sakura-chan! And thanks, I really hope Shino-kun shows up today!"

"Yeah." Sakura tried to brighten her own wan smile to match Ino's, but her heavy lips and face refused to put up such a facade. "Well, see you later, Ino-chan ..."

With a worried face and pursed lips, Ino watched her friend wearily plod out the door. "Geez, I wonder what's wrong with Sakura-chan ... is she still worried about Sasuke-kun?"

* * *

As Sakura stepped out onto the street outside the flower shop, the warm overhead afternoon sun did its best to lift Sakura's spirits. And it was not entirely unsuccessful, as she closed her eyes and opened her face up to the sky, soaking in the sympathetic and nurturing rays of the heavenly body ...

It was almost one o'clock. And sure enough, there he was, walking down the street with his punctual self. Shino Aburame, dressed in his usual garb of excessively long shorts, huge coat, dark sunglasses, and probably a corduroy shirt underneath all that. Walking with his hands in his pockets and his face behind the upturned collar, as usual ...

Sakura blinked. Strangely enough, if her eyes were not deceiving her ... if she didn't know any better ... Shino's face was a ghastly pallid pale. His feeble step was unsteady and uneven. Beads of cold perspiration were forming on his forehead ...

If she didn't know any better, Shino seemed to be the spitting image of a nervous wreck.

Then she mutedly laughed to herself for her foolishness. Shino-san? Nervous? Yeah right, who was she kidding?

* * *

Shino was nervous.

No, not just nervous. He was beyond nervous. He was sick in the stomach. Maybe it was the omelet? Yeah, it had to be the omeletl. It had been somewhat burned, charred. He and his father had been so engrossed in their conversation that they had forgotten all about the omelet, until the scent of smoke had alerted them to the fact that their breakfast was burning at the stove ...

He knew that it was not the omelet, however. He was genuinely anxious. Afraid. Quaking inside his open-toed shinobi shoes. Deathly terrified -

The rules! Don't forget the rules! Still walking, Shino yanked out the precious piece of yellow notepad paper from his pocket, and he started to review the rules again for the umpteenth time. Murmuring to himself: "Must buy flowers ... must use protection - wait! Forget that one ... must hide the Kikai bugs ... must be assertive ..."

* * *

All of Sakura's concerns, distress, confusion, everything. They were now melting away as she couldn't help but giggle, amused by the sight of the oblivious Shino trudging down the street, his nose buried inside a badly-crinkled piece of yellow paper, his sunglasses deliberately scanning back and forth over the paper's written contents. Geez, he was so serious about it, too ... what in the world could be so important on that paper, she thought to herself ...

Determined not to appear down and depressed in front of him, Sakura summoned forth her brightest smile of the day so far, as she cheerfully waved. "Hi, Shino-san!"

From the distance, Shino's low grunt was surprisingly loud: "Hmm?" He jerked his head up at Sakura's cheerful voice. "Ah, hello, Sakura-san. I am glad to see that you made it - "

He noticed that her eyes were flickering over to the paper in his hands, and he immediately stuffed it back into his bottomless coat pockets. But the tip still protruded from the lapel, and Sakura could not help but ask, of course: "What's that?"

"Ahhh ..."

Shino paused, his lapse tripping an alarm within Sakura's head. Subject change alert! Subject change alert! And sure enough, he then said, "So, have you talked to Ino-san yet?"

Still staring at Shino's pocket, Sakura replied, "Yes, I have."

"And?"

"Well..."

Sakura now took a long moment to gaze up into Shino's eyes, er, sunglasses. Hoping to see a sign. Any sign. Any hint or inkling of something, anything that might reveal more than simply casual friendship, platonic relationship, close acquaintances ... but goddamit, Shino's deadpan was not showing a damned thing. As usual.

No, no, Sakura immediately told herself. Maybe he was too shy. Maybe he was too - gaaah, what was she thinking, what was she DOING?! Grasping at straws for silly phantom romances?! Geez ... that annoying defeatist attitude was starting to kick in now. It was just one date, she was now telling herself. Nothing more. It's not like Shino was guaranteed to fall in love with Ino anyway. Heck, Ino might not even like Shino once she got to know him - well, okay, that was about as unlikely to happen as Kiba adopting a stray cat for a pet -

In an attempt to filter away all of the nonsense running amuck inside her head, Sakura closed her eyes. But hopeless confusion still reigned supreme. Just what did she want - actually, she knew what she wanted. She wanted ... she wanted ... but could Shino be that one? She didn't really believe - no, she didn't want to believe what Ino had just said earlier about playing games and all that stuff. Maybe Sakura was being childish, maybe she still believed in fairy tales. But she still wanted to believe that there was only one boy. She wanted to believe that love was not just some interchangeable cog or gear which one could pick out from a hardware store and then fit into her life -

Damn it, Shino-san was still not doing anything, the dolt! He was just standing there like an autistic retard, even though she was here, in plain view for him and everyone else to see, obviously distressed out of her mind! Well, okay, maybe it was not so obvious, but still, that was besides the point, he was just looking down at her, not even smiling or saying anything to alleviate her torn self, god, what was she doing out here anyways -

She abruptly turned away her eyes, feeling somewhat stung, somewhat rejected by Shino's utter lack of emotion. Oh god, not again, that mask. The total lack of empathy, understanding, support. Please, not again ... this feeling was so painfully familiar to her, of course ... just like Sasuke-kun ... why oh why, why was she always attracted to these incredibly emotionally dysfunctional boys? Boys colder than those glaciers floating in the arctic seas. Boys more withdrawn than a thorny hermit crab hiding deep inside its sturdy snail shell ...

She was back to staring at the paper in his pocket. Hiding a sad little smile which belied the epic cacophony of discord within: "Ino is expecting you to ask her out."

Shino's sunglasses were fixated on Sakura, but now he looked up to the sign above the flower shop, which read: Yamanaka Flowers ... he took a rather windy deep breath. "I see. I suppose it would be all right for me to ask her out then."

Still staring at paper in pocket. "Yes, it would be all right."

"Mmm." Shino now wiped his hands on his shorts. "It is just one date, after all. I am just getting to know her, that's all. Nothing more ..."

His odd word selection made Sakura look up now. "What was that?"

She trailed off when she realized that he was not even talking to her now. His hands still windshield-wiping back and forth on his shorts, he was almost rambling to himself in that deadpan now: "First ... rule number one ... buy flowers ... buy flowers ... lots of flowers ... but what kind of flowers ..."

Despite it all, Sakura could not help but smile in disbelief. "Shino-san, are you ... are you nervous?!"

"Strangely enough, Sakura-san, yes, I am." Shino forced his hands to stay still by shoving them back into their pockets. "My father warned me about this, but I had no idea it would be this bad." A lick of the dry lips. "Rule number two. Always use - wait, wait, skip that one. Rule number three - "

"Shino-san, what's all this rule stuff?"

Too addled to think of a response for the situation, he fell back onto that nebulous platitude of his: "A ninja never reveals his secrets, Sakura-san."

She had to openly laugh at that one. Geez, this was the first time she had ever seen Shino-san like this; maybe there was something more to him than meets the eye - no, no, the realist in her was saying, sufficiently squashing her random contemplations. Stop trying to convince yourself that he might like you, he's just being a weirdo as usual ...

Either way, Sakura's overwhelming nature to help out a friend in obvious need was now taking over: "Look, Shino-san, there's nothing to be afraid of. Ino really does think highly of you - "

"Hey guys, what's up."

Shino and Sakura turned to see the dour-faced Shikamaru Nara walking up to them, his hands also in his pockets. Shino simply nodded in return, while Sakura said, "Hey Shikamaru, how are you?"

"Doing all right. Just dropping by to let Ino know about something ..."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, his senses picking up something intangible in the air. Did he interrupt anything just now? Hmm. Weird ... maybe it was his imagination. He shrugged it off, too lazy to carry on any sort of real conversation with these two. "Anyways, catch you guys later."

Without further ado, Shikamaru then walked into the flower shop. And Sakura turned back to the bug boy. "Shino-san, see how easy it is? Just go in there! Just go in there, and buy some flowers. Then give them to her and ask her out to ... I dunno, ask her out to a movie. Yeah, that would be nice, just ask her if she wants to go see a movie with you - "

"Movies." Shino nodded to himself as he tried to wipe his hands on his shorts, even though they were lodged deep inside his pockets. "Very well. Movies." Then he announced with the fatalistic resolve of a soldier about to jump into the middle of a chaotic firefight on a corpse-laden battlefield: "Okay, I'm going in."

And without further ado, he reached for the door to Yamanaka Flowers, his sudden action catching Outer Sakura by surprise ...

Meanwhile, Inner Sakura had been going apoplectic for five minutes strong now, popping veins from the forehead like nobody's business and tearing out hair by the handful: "What are you doing, you dumb broad?! Don't let him go just like that, you gotta at least give him a HINT! Just a little hint, nothing more, there's nothing wrong or scandalous about that! If he doesn't like you, he won't even notice the hint! But if he does like you, then he will notice, and he will think twice about - omigod, HE'S AT THE ENTRANCE! Quick, say something, do something! Stop him! Trip him! Do anything, arrrrgh, he's about to fly right into Ino-chan's web! Don't let him get away - "

She finally squeaked with the vociferousness of a field mouse plagued by strep throat: "Shino-san!"

Shino had just grasped the knob of the door leading into the flower shop, but his hand held fast as he turned back his head to glance at her from over his shoulder and out of the corner of his eye. "Yes, Sakura-san?"

Her face was a blotchy and utterly mortified red. Her ears were ablaze in searing painful pink, far more pink than her hair could ever be. Her wrung hands, meanwhile, were chilled to the bone, clammy, sweaty, fingers clumsy and nonresponsive ... she was standing huddled with such a miserable and tortured face, like an unfortunate elderly man standing out in the middle of a freezing rain, with nary a hat nor umbrella over his head. Her shoulders and arms drawn in, seemingly shrinking away into nothingness inside her clothes. Her throat working double time as it clutched and double clutched, swallowing and choking as she tried in vain to think of a way to express a hint, no, not just a hint, a word, any word, omigod, should she even be doing this, she felt so dirty and sleazy, she felt like she was betraying herself, poor Sasuke-kun, oh god, what was she doing -

And Shino-san? Shino-san! He was still standing there with that damned deadpan! Doesn't his face ever freaking move or twitch or show anything, god, he was like a robot, no, not even a robot, a robot showed more emotion than him -

With an utterly fake and cheery voice that seemed so far removed from her actual self, like that distant haunting echo which one could hear only in their dreams and nowhere else ... Sakura's mouth said entirely on its own independent impulse: "Good luck."

Aaaaagh! Noooo! That's not what she wanted to say! Before the words had even left her lips, Sakura was already fighting back the urge to wallop herself in the face for her stupidity, her cowardice, her goddamned shyness, stupid stupid stupid, she so stupid, she so stupid, oh god, why couldn't she just say it -

"Thank you, Saku - " Shino paused to raise an eyebrow at the dangerously bloody-red and madly twitching face of the anguished kuniochi. "Is there anything else you wanted to say, Sakura-san?"

Her damned mouth started flapping before she even registered what Shino had asked her: "Oh no, nothing else to say, Shino-san, ha ha, ha ha!"

The bug boy paused a moment longer at her eccentric antics. And then, without further ado, he had disappeared into the flower shop ...

Finally able to move on her own accord. Finally able to force out her own true squeak as she raised a desperate hand: "Wait! Wait, I - "

She stopped when she realized that she was alone now. Her belated plea rebounding harmlessly off the closed door of the flower shop. Hand stupidly outstretched towards emptiness for absolutely no reason at all.

She was too late.

* * *

Shikamaru was now sitting on the stool which Sakura had recently vacated, lazily propping elbows on the counter top as, with that total air of indifference which only the Naras possessed, he watched Ino fix her hair. "Geez, Ino, you're paying even more attention to your hair than usual. Going out on a date or something?"

Ino chimed, "Maybe! Hee hee! Hmm hmmm hmmmmm!" She was humming to herself again ...

"So who's the unlucky guy?"

"Haha, very funny, Shikamaru." Ino rolled blue eyes at her teammate's desert-dry sarcasm. "Why are you here anyway?"

"Asuma-sensei's leaving for a mission tomorrow, and Choji wants to treat him to dinner tonight. And I think it would be a nice gesture if all of us showed up to see him off."

Exasperated smile from Ino. "Let me guess. Choji wants to go to the all-you-can-eat barbecue place."

Knowing grin from Shikamaru. "Heh, where else?"

"Choji, Choji ..." Ino now nodded in agreement. "Well, it would be a nice gesture, but ... but it depends."

"Huh? Depends on what?"

"Well, SHIKAMARU - " Ino's voice and eyes emphatically bulged in annoyance at Shikamaru's leisurely nosiness, before returning to their usual blueness. "It depends on whether - " Her voice suddenly escalated an octave at the clang of a bell as the flower shop's front door opened, and she thrust a zealously waving hand into the air. "Hiiii, Shino-kun, hiiiiiiiii! How you doing?!"

A quiet voice from behind Shikamaru: "Hello, Ino-san. I am doing fine, how are you?"

Ino was shining so brightly, it was as if a celestial body, and not a teenage girl, was tending to the cashier duties behind the counter. "I am just doing great, thanks for asking!"

"Huh?" Shikamaru yawned as he turned his head just enough so that he could catch a glimpse of whoever was making Ino act so perky - oi? That Shino Aburame guy? Gee, he didn't know that Shino was a floral enthusiast - Shikamaru blinked when he realized that Ino had placed herself as far as possible from him, the kuniochi now standing all the way at the other end of the counter. "Hey Ino, whatcha doing - "

Ino whispered with the hiss of cobra venom: "Ssssshhhhhh! Don't talk to me right now! He might get the wrong idea!"

"Huh?"

"I said, don't talk to me!" The blue eyes flashed malevolently with killer intent. "I'll explain later!"

"Okay, whatever." Shikamaru distractedly scratched his shoulder as he sprawled out onto the counter to take a nap ...

Meanwhile, Shino had taken refuge in a corner of the flower shop, his back facing everyone as he gathered together all his courage. Deadpan on the outside. Stomach roiling on the inside. Heart pounding between the ears and jostling for position with his brain as he furiously debated with himself: "What kind of flowers would she like?"

Roses? Too obvious and hackneyed. Tulips? Those would be better, but still ... maybe daisies? Not quite, but close. Yes, she did seem like the type of girl who had more of an affinity for the sunny, fresh, and cheerful, as opposed to the blatantly sexy and romantic ... 

As Shino's sunglasses panned over the rather dizzying display of the hundredfold flowers before him, he pondered over what he could say. Ask her to train? Ask her to lunch? Ask her to dinner? Hmm, Sakura-san had recommended that he use the movies line, but ... that seemed so forward and brazen of a request, he wasn't really sure if he should -

Rule number four! When in doubt, be assertive!

Shino's jaw steeled in resolve, as he nodded to himself. That's right. No more stalling. Movies it was. And as for the flowers ... he realized that he had subconsciously drifted over to a bunch of sunny yellow blossoms. And now that he thought about it, these flowers did seem more appealing than the rest. He didn't know much about flowers (he liked to read more about wildlife, not plant life), but these yellow blossoms seemed to be the type which would resonate with her personality ...

He had no idea what type of flowers these were. But being the stickler for details that he was, he had to know exactly what the heck he was buying. So he bent over to read the label. "Daffodils. Hmm." He had heard of these flowers before ...

Daffodils it was. He picked out the ones which seemed to be the brightest and healthiest, ending up with a total of five in his hand (as prescribed by Rule number one). And he turned to the cash register, where Ino was glowing in exuberance and Shikamaru was dozing in boredom ...

No more dilly dallying. It was time for the moment of truth. It was time for Rule number four.

* * *

Meanwhile, out on the street, Sakura was rallying herself around her own version of Rule number four. She had been pumping her morale up with clenched fists and inspirational cliches, to the point where she had mustered almost enough courage to go back into the shop and drop that all-important hint onto Shino-san. The kuniochi was now gnashing her teeth and raving to herself with such wild-eyed fervor, people passing by Sakura on the street were giving her strange looks and a wide berth, afraid that they were witnessing the mental breakdown of a poor girl right before their very eyes.

"Carpe diem! Carpe diem, Sakura! Seize the day! Who cares if Ino-chan makes fun of you afterwards?! You can just say that you're playing your games, too, just like Ino is! She can't make fun of you for that! The pot calling the kettle black, and all that! Yeah yeah yeah!"

Then dread gripped her heart hostage, as she wailed to herself, "Oh, but oh god, what if Shino figures out that I'm dropping a hint, but he doesn't like me, he will think I am such a sleazy two-timing tramp, and he will always look at me funny from now on, oh god oh god, that would be so embarrassing - "

No! Sakura abruptly halted her transformation into a pink-haired version of the Cowardly Lion. Who cared what Shino-san thought of her?! She should just - no, wait. Actually, she did care what Shino-san thought of her. But that wasn't the point. The point was that she had to prove to herself she could do this. No more fear. No more hesitation. She could do this!

With the recklessness of a daredevil about to jump a motorcycle over an endless row of cars ... with the recklessness of a high roller about to bet all his chips on lucky number seven ... Bold Brash Sakura was here now. She had arrived. To the fanfare of trumpets, no less. Tossing aside everything from her mind with an emphatic sweep of the arm. Puffing out her chest with the pride of a handsome rooster. Having absolutely no idea what she was going to say to Shino-san once she walked into the flower shop. But that didn't really matter, because she was sure that he would get the hint somehow, someway, hopefully.

Back ramrod straight, she now marched towards the entrance with head held high, chest full of hot air, stiff iron arms alternating with each decisive step. Still having absolutely no idea what she was going to say. But that did not matter, she would figure it out on the fly! And now, with an animal growl, she lashed out with a paw at the brass doorknob, ready to wrest it open.

The door was already opening. And before she knew it, the imposing sight of Shino-san, turquoise towering coat and all, loomed before her.

She was too late. And Bold Brash Sakura was no more, chest deflating, all air escaping with a noisy blurb. The cowardly lion was back, cringing and shying away with genuine illness bottoming out in the pits of her stomach. Unable to meet eyes with the monstrous Colossus of Rhodes before her. The quivering sea-green eyes, already beginning to overflow with the moistness of humiliation and anger at her utterly pathetic weakness ... through the wavering film of embarrassment that had washed over them, her eyes could now see a beaming Ino at Shino's side, her arms locked tightly with his -

Sakura blinked.

Ino was not holding arms with Shino. Ino was not at Shino's side. She was not even anywhere near Shino. As a matter of fact, from the periphery of Sakura's watery vision, Ino was still behind the counter and gaping with a stunned open jaw, as the door, on its well-oiled hinges, silently swung shut behind Shino - click. The door sealed away the gaping Ino, the dozing Shikamaru, and the entire flower shop. Leaving only the standing Shino, the stupefied Sakura, and a fistful of daffodils.

And for the first time ever in Shino's life. Even though he had entered puberty quite a long while ago. His voice now lilted into an embarrassing crack: "Sakura-saHAaan?"

Awkwardly out came the daffodils, almost hitting the wholly numb kuniochi flush across the face. "Do you want to go see a movie with me?"

CHAPTER ENDS

Theme song for upcoming chapter: "Island in the Sun" by Weezer

Notes: Okay, I will be the first to admit, this chapter is so ridiculously sappy and honeyed, argh! I felt super silly and ridiculous after writing this! But then I thought to myself, oh what the hell, what's wrong with a totally contrived fairy tale situation, lol ... anyways. As if you guys didn't see this coming, hehe. Poor Ino never had a chance, gee, she's always playing second fiddle to Sakura .... but a warning to the SakuShino fans. SakuShino ain't gonna be so simple, as the upcoming chapters will reveal ... btw, I have no idea what Shino's father's name is. So I just stole a name from Rurouni Kenshin, hehe ... also, some of you might wonder why I put this theme song stuff at the top of each chapter. Well, when I'm writing, certain songs help me get into the proper mood/mindset. And for this chapter, that Cake song just seemed fitting. Shino is kinda an oddball, and this song is kinda odd (yet catchy), so there we go ... and yes, this chapter took a long time to write. I am suffering from HUGE writer's block Again. Damn it.

RESPONSES TO CHAPTER 9 REVIEWS:

Tasha3: It "seems" like Sakura is getting hints of jealousy? Damn, I was trying to make it OBVIOUS that she was jealous. Without her blatantly coming out and saying, "I'M JEALOUS!", of course. Oh well ... and you're wondering when Kakashi and Sasuke will return? Well, I'll bet you a zillion dollars that they make their debut within the next two chapters ...

Xoni Newcomer: Thanks a bunch for the props, and yeah, I tried real hard to get Sakura's feelings across to the reader. Although, it actually took me relatively little time to write the second half of that chapter, I got on a huge roll and finished it in under two hours... and Shino mooning someone? It could happen!

Dark Raxiel: My Spanish is lousy, yet I actually understood most of your review (I think I did, at least). I had to look up the last sentence, though. And yeah, I focused a lot on Sakura's thoughts in the last chapter. Glad you liked it!

Shino Bee: Yeah, I liked writing the thoughts about Shino! Man, Sakura's character is fun to write ... and writing Kiba/Shino interaction is lots of fun too, I just go crazy, hehe.

Netescaper: Hehe, you were right on target when you prophecied that this would not be a ShinoIno fic. I never did intend for this fic to be ShinoIno. But I didn't want to come out and say it, because a romance story is boring if it doesn't have complications ... however, SakuShino is not going to be simple ...

ccslover: Yeah, it was lots of fun writing Ino, hehe ... gee, I have fun writing all my chars. Which is good, it helps me stay enthusiastic for this fic... you're pro-SakuShino, eh? Well, it's likely to happen!

Kerrie-Chan: You think Shino is better for her than Sasuke, huh? Well, we'll just have to see what Sakura decides in this fic! I don't want to make it too obvious yet!

Peter Kim: Patience. The stage for the fight of this story is still being set ... the fight will be a long one, at least two or three chapters. I've even already picked the songs to inpsire me for those chapters. And I'm sure action fans will like the fight ...

Istoria: Yeah, I tried to make this story somewhat believable even though I stray into total silliness sometimes. I can't help it .... and yeah, Shino is an underused char, so I tried to flesh him out in this fic ... thanx for reading!

Xelrina: LOL, ok, I guess I will continue.

Kunai: Personally, I think Ino is a fun char. But I guess you're glad that things don't work out for her in this fic, hehe... as for SakuShino, we'll see how it goes ... thanks for reading!

Milk: Can't wait for Sasuke to make his debut, eh? Well, you'll like the next chapter then!

Shiru-Chan, : Glad you like the fic! And yeah, Evil TenTen rules, I need to figure out a way to get her back into the story, lol.

YoukaiGriffndor: I don't know if I spelled your penname right, but I do know that I'm glad you like this fic!

RikuNghts: Another Shino fan! Good god, he has a ton of them! Who knew?!

uselessprincess: Lol, yeah, I think Shino could very much be like this. Bug power!

icetenshi, Calophi: Well, I updated just now! Hope you like!

Dark Nemesis 7, Dan: Thanks for reading, this fic must go on!


	11. Butterflies: Part 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters affiliated with Naruto. 

Official Theme Song for this chapter: "Take Me Out " by Franz Ferdinand

CHAPTER BEGINS

And for the first time ever in Shino's life. Even though he had entered puberty quite a long while ago. His voice now lilted into an embarrassing crack: "Sakura-saHAaan?"  
  
Awkwardly out came the daffodils, almost hitting the wholly numb kuniochi flush across the face. "Do you want to go see a movie with me?"

* * *

Sakura felt like she had just been hit by a speeding truck. No, not just hit. Blindsided. Somehow, caught totally and completely off guard, even though she had wanted so badly for this to happen. Even though she had been fantasizing about this very scenario since that fretful last night and nearly all of this anxious nerve-wracking morning. An understandable reaction on her part, really, since this was her first time. The first time a boy had asked her out on a date (other than Naruto and his numerous random passes).   
  
Then pure unadulterated elation jumped into the emotional fray, blowing up her head into one big dizzy giddy mess. And with her mind spinning crazily like a merry-go-round out of control, her nervously parched lips - once carefully prudent, but now joyously uncontrollable - blared wide open to blurt:   
  
"Yes! Yes, Shino-san! Let's go see a movie - "  
  
She stopped herself before her rambling spun out of control. But ... Sasuke-kun ...  
  
God, she wanted this, she really did, she wanted to so badly. She wanted to go to a movie with Shino-san, find out what kind of movies he liked. Listen to whatever weirdo bug things he liked to talk about. Giggle at his absurdly monotone deadpan jokes. Tease him if a joke turned out to be a total dud. See if she could ruffle his imperturbable feathers. Would he try to hold her hand during the movie? Would his hand be cold and clammy? Warm and sweaty? Probably dry and calm? No, he would not dare to do such a thing on a first date! Or would he? Okay, maybe he would not brazenly grab for her hand, but he might set up a situation conducive to such naughty things. Yes, he would do such a thing, he was quite the clever and thoughtful one. He would set a trap for her, and she would willingly jump right into it, eager to find out what he had in store for her.  
  
Maybe he would buy a bucket of popcorn, and they would share the popcorn together. Yes, yes, yes, and then, while she had her hand inside the bucket, he would slip his hand in also, and then they would touch. That electric touch which she had only dreamed about? Would it be there? Yes, it would! And then he would knowingly look down at her with those wonderfully dark and intense eyes of his (hopefully he would not be wearing his sunglasses inside the movie theater), and he would offer up a little knowing smile. She would not look up at him right away, of course. But she would feel his eyes. She would feel those wonderfully intense eyes as they looked down at her, their sharpness no longer filtered by the absent sunglasses, boldly sweeping over her immaculately arranged hair, brushing over the pearly flawless skin of her dainty neck, lingering over the tantalizingly delicate profile of her serenely beautiful face and charmingly wide forehead ...  
  
Then she would shyly look up into those eyes, and reciprocate with her own enticingly coy smile. And her display of receptiveness would goad his testerone levels to all new heights, setting him ablaze with that almost predatory desire which all men felt when they wanted to seize a woman, take her, make her his own. He would not give in to the primitive urges, of course, and he would remain the perfect gentleman. But that fire would definitely be there, lurking underneath the deadpan of his, flaring up and burning brightly whenever he laid eyes on her. .. and that, indeed, she would find to be so sexy hot, the chill would make her shiver, make her tingle her to the bone.  
  
Of course, Sakura was not consciously or precisely processing all of these details inside her head; she was far too dazed and confused, almost numbed and stunned into a state of non sentience. But instinctively, she just knew what was going to happen, how it would all unfold - oh wait. Unfortunately, there was one little problem with this whole bucket-o'-popcorn scenario. And the problem was that the calorie-conscious Sakura normally avoided the foulsome fat-inducing butteriness of movie theaters' popcorn with a passionate revulsion. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear ... oh well, she could make an exception in this case. For the sake of holding hands, of course -   
  
Oh wow. Holding hands. Holding hands! Sakura's bubbly head was now foaming over the top, the cheeks madly blushing at the prospect of actually feeling Shino-san in such an intimate manner. Oh wow, such dirty thoughts! She was such a bad naughty girl! Bad, bad, bad ... (as one can see, Sakura was quite the sheltered and innocent one) ...   
  
But ... Sasuke-kun ...  
  
A sinking heaviness washed over her, as she realized that she could not do this. Not now. Not yet. She had to give Sasuke at least one more chance. For years, she had pined and vied for his attention, his acknowledgment. She could not just toss it aside for - no, no, no, what was she thinking?! No harm in just one little date! It was not cheating or betraying or anything like that, it was just like Ino said, Sakura was just playing her games while the boys played theirs! Ino was also talked about battlefields or jungle warfare or something - no, no, no, but Sasuke-kun was not playing games with any other girls, it really would not be fair to him if she did this, no, she could not do this, not while he was gone ...   
  
In a way, Sakura had somehow completely forgotten about the bug boy, who was politely standing off to the side. And now, catching her by surprise, his voice now drifted into her ears:   
  
"Sakura-san, if you don't want to, I understand - "  
  
An instinctive exclamation, as she frantically spun around, fearful that he was just about ready to ditch her. "No! No, no, Shino-san, I want to! I do!" Then confusion once again, as her blustery voice rapidly lost momentum. "I mean, well, I want to, but ... I mean, you know ... I can't ..."  
  
"Hmm." Shino's sunglasses rested upon the redfaced girl before him, as she continued to fidget with her hands and stammer nonsensical words of indecisiveness. Her eyes refusing to meet his, afraid to look up and commit themselves to him ...  
  
He nodded. "I understand." A pause. "Then, how about a walk?"  
  
Sakura stopped rambling to herself, and she finally looked up, no longer afraid due to the relatively innocuous nature of his request. "A walk?"  
  
"It is a beautiful day today, and maybe we could maybe walk together for a little while."  
  
She was still struggling to sort all the schism within her head, but she did know one thing. Shino was right; it was a beautiful day today. With the bright blue sky and the clear fresh air - Sakura immediately responded: "Sure! We can walk!" Then a warm smile of certainty, showing that she was indeed interested in his show of courtship. "I would like that, Shino-san - "  
  
"Yes."  
  
His uncharacteristically impolite interruption surprised her. "Excuse me, Shino-san?"   
  
The bug boy had solemnly pulled a fist out of his jacket's pocket and was now pumping it in muted jubilation, as he intoned in his usual understated monotone: "Yes. Yes, yes, yes. Excellent. Awesome."  
  
Sakura choked back a giggle as she realized that Shino was actually in the midst of celebration. Shino-san was celebrating? Just because she had agreed to go walk with him? Flattered by his odd yet obvious display of delight, Sakura giggled once again without restraint. "Shino-san, you're so silly!"  
  
"Hmm?" He stopped his fist in mid-pump. "Perhaps." His self-deprecation elicited yet another girlish giggle from the kuniochi, and he now confidently said from between a pair of thin lips which were _almost_ smiling (but not quite): "So, shall we go, Sakura-san?"  
  
"Sure! Let's go - " Sakura suddenly remembered something, and her good humor dampened visibly as she wondered, "But what about Ino?"  
  
"What about her?"  
  
"Shino-san, you said you were going to ask her out. What was that all about?"  
  
He shrugged. And he replied: "I lied."  
  
"What?!"  
  
He stated in a matter-of-fact voice: "I always liked you, Sakura-san. Not Ino-san."  
  
"Really?!"  
  
"Really."  
  
"Oh. Oh wow." Sakura now squirmed in delighted embarrassment, her eyes glued to toes. "Wow, omigod, I mean, you know, when you said that gentlemen preferred blondes, I thought that, you know, you preferred blondes, you know, like Ino - "  
  
"Sakura-san."  
  
The authoritative timbre of his voice demanded for her to look up from her wriggling toes, and she did with wide open eyes. "Yes?"  
  
"I am not a gentleman."

* * *

Ino had her face plastered up against the front window of the flower shop, mouth hanging open in shock, unwilling to accept the horrific sight before her wide eyes. "Why is ... why is Shino-kun talking with Forehead Girl?!"  
  
Shikamaru, from the stool by the cash register, shrugged with an indifferent reply: "Because he likes her - gaaack!"  
  
Shikamaru's eyes bugged out as Ino seized him by the throat, threatening to strangle the very life out of him. The blonde's furious blue eyes were snapping sparks as she bellowed: "It's all your fault, Shikamaru! Shino-kun was going to ask me out, but he got scared off when he saw you sitting there talking to me, Shino-kun must have thought that you were my boyfriend or something, IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT, Shikamaru, DIE DIE DIE!"  
  
But Ino's actions belied her words as, with a ponderous sigh, she then released Shikamaru from her viselike grip. Yeah, she was mad and all, but it wasn't worthwhile to end her teammate's life over something like this ... with the air of a death row inmate walking to the gas chamber, Ino plodded around the counter to take her place by the cash register. And she plunked her forehead against the buttons - cha ching! The drawer popped out to jeeringly poke her in the shoulder.  
  
Shikamaru was taking his near-death experience in stride, of course; he was a grizzled veteran of Ino's numerous tantrums and outbursts, and he had many a Purple Heart medallion for the numerous bumps and bruises suffered over the past year. And although he didn't really give a damn about Ino's love life, he also didn't like to see his buddy down in the dumps like so.  
  
With a slow (and careful) manner, he said, "Ino, I don't know why you thought Shino was going to ask you out, but there was nothing you could have done about it. When I walked past them just now, I saw the way he was looking at her, and it was pretty obvious he likes her ..."  
  
The normally loquacious Ino was silent, for once. Not altogether unexpected to Shikamaru, though, since he was familiar with her mood swings. So Shikamaru tried again, despite the mounting urge to give up on this stupid troublesome task of cheering up his teammate. "Hey Ino, don't worry, there's lots of other guys out there - "  
  
Ino finally rumbled into the cash register with a growl that made Shikamaru's blood curdle: "Kiba ..."  
  
Shikamaru blinked. "What about him?"  
  
"Kiba lied to me ... he told me that Shino-kun liked me ..."  
  
"He did?"  
  
The girl's body was starting to tremble now, an eruption of massive proportions threatening. "So, Kiba ... you think it's funny to play with the heart of a poor naive girl ..."  
  
"Uh, Ino, you're not exactly a naive girl," was Shikamaru's thinking (he did not dare to say this out loud, of course, he had already narrowly escaped death just minutes earlier) ...  
  
Ino shot upright from the cash register, and Mount Yamanaka exploded with a spectular conflagration of blazing eyes, flying hair, and flaming chakra, as her cute yellow honeybee shirt billowed in the typhoon summoned by the righteous fury of Emotionally Distraught Teenage Girl: "Kiba, I WILL KILL YOU! I will kill you and your rotten mutt, I swear this upon my beloved curling iron, I WILL KILL YOU! You think it's so funny to play with the heart of an innocent maiden whose thumping chest pines desperately for love?! KIBA, you just wait till I rip out your merciless stone-cold heart, ARGH, I'm going to KILL YOU, aaaarrrr!"  
  
An elderly lady customer had just entered the store, but at the sight of Super Saiyan Ino, she promptly turned tail and fled. And Shikamaru, who was shielding his eyes from the biting winds of Typhoon Ino, muttered to himself: "Man, I wouldn't want to be in Kiba's shoes right about now ... tch! Girls are so freaking troublesome! I really hope Shino knows just what he is getting into."  
  
PART 1 OF CHAPTER 11 ENDS  
  
Notes: It's been a while, hasn't it? :) FYI, this is only the first part of Chapter 11. The second part is nearly done, maybe done sometime over the weekend? it will depend on my committments during my spare time ... a confession to the readers who have bombarded me with reviews and emails begging for the continuance of this story. I actually finished this part of the chapter _months_ ago. But then I got absolutely hammered down by writer's block. I wanted so badly to just finish this story, it's all laid out in my head, but for the longest time, I just couldn't write anything above grade-school prose. And I absolutely refuse to write if I don't feel like I am able to write at a certain level ... actually, I was able to skip ahead and write a few scenes that focused on fighting. But for me, fight scenes come easily, I can crank them out pretty quick. Scenes that delve into emotions and the human mind? Not easy for me at all.  
  
Anyway, it's all good. The block is gone. The thoughts are flowing. The fingers are typing. Be prepared for the 2nd half of this story! Uh yeah, momentous occassion, I guess ... anyway, that Franz Ferdinand song. That song is kinda hopeful, yet mournful at the same time. It is kinda fitting for what is about to happen in this story. Foreshadowing, even! Plus, the song is kinda weird, and Shino is kinda weird, so yeah, they kinda match, in my mind at least. BTW, random note, there's a song I recommend, it's called "Fly High" by Voodoo & Serano. Well actually, the original mix is done by Ayumi Hamasaki, but I don't like the original mix much; however, the Voodoo & Serano version is tiiiiiiight. Highly recommended. :) 


	12. Butterflies: Part 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters affiliated with Naruto. 

Official Theme Song for this chapter: "Island in the Sun" by Weezer

CHAPTER CONTINUES  
  
Her eyes were closed, thus she saw nothing but black. Her ears were open, yet she heard nothing but mute. All she could feel was a playful ethereal caress, delicate daffodil tendrils swaying to and fro as they teased the hypersensitive skin of her neck. All she could smell was an overwhelmingly refreshing spring fragance, all residue of anxiety and threnody within her head now washing away underneath the soothing cleansing presence of daffodil aroma...  
  
From behind the daffodil bouquet which she now held to her face, Sakura's ocean-green eyes finally drew open from behind their heavy lids, and her ecstatic lips bestowed an angelic smile upon the awaiting Shino: "Thank you for the flowers, Shino-san. They really are lovely."  
  
Her smile was absolutely radiant, glowing with such blatant adulation and desire, it really was a smile which could turn most hopeful boys into stupidly grinning fools. But this was Shino, of course, and Shino was not like most boys. His reaction was the bare minimal, as always. A small nod. A few words.  
  
"I am glad you like them, Sakura-san. I thought they would match well with you."  
  
That was all he said. No smile in sight, either. At least, not openly. Yet, she was not offended, because she could somehow sense his contentment. She could not pinpoint what was tipping her off about Shino, but she could just feel it. His obvious taking of pleasure in her delight. Somehow obvious despite the sunglasses completely masking the eyes. Despite the passively smooth and unperturbed cheekbones. Chalk it up to female intuition, Sakura finally supposed.  
  
Either way, she now responded excitedly, "Wow, you thought they matched well with me? Right on!"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"I love daffodils! They're my favorite flowers!"  
  
"Oh?" Shino blinked from behind the sunglasses. "I chose wisely, then."  
  
"Hee hee." Sakura grinned as she cradled the bouquet of daffodils inside her arms like she would with a newborn child. But then, after a moment, she thought better of the manner with which she as currently holding the flowers. So, she adjusted the bouquet where she was now holding it upright with two bunched hands in front of her waist. But that didn't quite feel right, either. She then held the bouquet in just one hand, dangling rather loosely by her hips - no, no, she told herself, that was far too casual. Maybe if she switched hands and held it higher? Around elbow-level, perhaps?  
  
As Sakura proceeded to evaluate approximately two dozen various methods for holding a daffodil bouquet, Shino's brow progressively arched higher and higher in perplexion, Shino wondering why the bouquet was moving all around her body. So he finally asked, "Is something wrong, Sakura-san?"  
  
"Oh no, no! Nothing's wrong, Shino-san! It's just that ..." A helpless smile from the kuniochi. "Well, I guess I'm not sure what to do with these flowers."  
  
"Hmm. I see." Shino gravely nodded, as if Sakura had just informed him of an A-rank mission of the utmost importance. "Very well then. Sakura-san, what do you normally do with flowers when they are given to you? Do you put them in a vase, perhaps?"  
  
"Well, I ... um, I ... I don't know." Another helpless smile from her. "No one has ever given me flowers before."  
  
Even Shino's stonewalled face had to crumble a bit in surprise. "Really?"  
  
Sakura couldn't help but enjoy the sight of Flabbergasted Shino, as she coyly smiled out loud: "Yes, really. Why do you find that so hard to believe, Shino-san?"  
  
Shino had already reverted back to his usual state of composure, the temporary lapse a thing of the past. "Well, I just thought that Naruto or Lee might have already given you flowers before. That's all."  
  
Sakura had to blink in surprise at that revelation, as she wondered out loud, "Huh! You're right, Shino-san! You would think they would do something like that during all those times they asked me out." She scratched her head. "But they never did. Not even once. Weird!"  
  
Another grave nod from Shino, _almost_ smiling now. "Very odd indeed, Sakura-san."  
  
Outer Sakura quietly giggled, while Inner Sakura fairly raged with a drooling feverishness appropriate for a hormonal teenage girl: "Kyaaaaaaa! Shino-san is so cute when he's smiling! Well, actually, um, when he's almost smiling, that is."

* * *

They were now walking down the sidewalk together, and while Inner Sakura raved about the potential cuteness of Shino's theoretical yet unconfirmed smile, Outer Sakura was desperately trying to come up with a conversational subject which the two could easily discuss. Struggling to keep alive and sustain the verbal momentum which they had built. Although Shino seemed to be perfectly comfortable with the two just walking in silence, Sakura was not satisfied with just that. She wanted more. So much more.  
  
She wanted to unravel the mysterious conundrum who went by the name of Shino Aburame. She wanted to pry out the deepest and darkest secrets and passions hidden underneath that exoskeleton of his. Wanted to share stupid, silly, yet heartwarming childhood stories. Giggle over things even dumber and more nonsensical than those stories, things of absolutely no consequence at all. Tug and pull at his crazy unmanageable hair, and maybe persuade him to let her give the hairstyling gig another shot. Latch onto his poofy coat sleeve and swing his arm all about while they skipped down the sidewalk together - ok, maybe the skipping thing was too much to ask for. She was pretty sure that Shino-san would never ever ever skip around like so. Not in a million years. Oh well, she couldn't have everything, could she?  
  
Either way, much to her dismay, Sakura was now quickly realizing that her churning mental faculties, immense and formidable as they might be, were drawing a virtually complete blank as far as conversational topics were concerned. So far, all she could come up with was either really lame, dumb, or banal run-of-the-mill. What type of music do you like? What type of food do you like? You do comb your hair every day, right? Wait, are you _sure_ you comb your hair every day? Or is it every week? Why do you wear sunglasses indoors? Do your eyes have a problem with bright light? Do you wear them even during the night? Doesn't it get hot during the middle of the day with that coat on? Why do you like corduroy so much?  
  
Enough. The silence was too much for her. She had to say something. Even though they had only been walking for all of seven full seconds now. She desperately looked around for visual inspiration - there! A random young girl off to the side, listening to a walkman via earphones. Music! Yeah, music! Shino-san must like music. Even weirdos liked music! Yes, yes, she could ask what kind of music he liked. So, without further ado, she prepared to blurt -  
  
Shino asked, "What kind of music do you like, Sakura-san?"  
  
Aaargh! He beat her to it! But then again, Sakura didn't give a damn so long as they were saying something, as she promptly replied, "Music? Ah, I like ... uh ... all types of music, I guess?"  
  
Gee, that sounded pretty lame. But frankly, she was not quite sure what to say. Partially because she really did like bits and pieces from all music genres. Mostly because she was afraid to say something that he would disapprove of. Shino-san seemed to be one of those purist rock-n-roll-type fellows who possessed an unhealthy disgust for all things electronica, and unfortunately, she had an affinity for exactly those things: house, trance, techno - what the heck, why was she already assuming this about him! He had never said anything about music until now, so how could she be so sure? The female intuition thing again, she supposed. Besides, he just ... looked like ... one of those fellows ... yeah, that was the ticket ...  
  
Shino nodded over to the girl with the walkman. "Sakura-san. Any guesses as to what she is listening to?"  
  
"Huh?" Sakura blinked. So Shino-san had noticed that same child, too. "Well, I don't know, but she does look like a rap fan... a hip hop fan, I guess?"  
  
"She does look like one, doesn't she? However, you never know. You cannot always determine a person's musical tastes from appearance alone."  
  
"Oh my god," she thought to herself. No doubt about it. Shino knew exactly what had been going through her mind just now. Aaargh! Was she really that easy to read?! Geez. Kind of embarrassing. She was impressed by the fact that he was so perceptive, but still, in a way, it dully grated on her like an uncomfortable itch. So undeniably embarrassing. Face slowly turning into a shade of pink similar to that of her hair, she hastily scrambled for a reply. "No, I guess you can't tell everything from appearance."  
  
Inspiration then bonked her over the head, as she abruptly said without thinking: "Hey Shino-san, I was just wondering, can you hear what music that girl is listening to?!"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
She gabbled excitedly, "You know, Shino-san! That listening jutsu of yours! Where you put your ear to the ground and you listen to something going on from a mile away? Use it!"  
  
"Hmm." A slight frown from the Aburame ninja. "That jutsu is used for scouting and reconnaissance, not listening to music."  
  
"Oh, come on, Shino-san, it'll be fun! No one will know the difference!" Sakura egged him on now with encouraging pumps from her rigorously balled fists. "Use it! Use it! Use it! Besides, that jutsu is so cool! I think it's really neat that you can hear stuff from so far away!"  
  
"Well, I don't know." The kuniochi's flattery was chipping away at Shino's reluctance, as his chest subtlely puffed with peacock pride inside his coat. "You really think it's cool when I use that jutsu?"  
  
Zealous nodding from Sakura. "Yup! Very cool!" She shone a big gleeful smile for Shino, her hands clasped together intimately beside her upturned cheeks. "It is very cool to watch!"  
  
"Mmm. Ok."  
  
Much to Sakura's delight, Shino promptly dropped to the ground to press his ear against the uncomfortably sunbaked asphalt. She held her breath, waiting breathlessly for his verdict, watching the bug boy's solemn face twitch as his ear discerned and decoded whatever the heck it was listening to. She then realized that, from this superior angle, she was able to catch a glimpse of those dark riveting eyes behind the sunglasses. She then momentarily forgot all about the listening jutsu, as she imperceptibly bent down to take a closer look at his elusive eyes ...  
  
Shino was done listening. He shot up to his feet, his head quickly rising above and beyond her level of eyesight, inadvertently thwarting her effort to refresh her one lone memory of those wonderful eyes of his. "Trance," he pronounced with finality. "She is currently listening to trance."  
  
A bit dismayed that she had not gotten a good look at his eyes, Sakura wondered if maybe she should intentionally drop one of her daffodils so that she could ask him to get back down and pick it up (and more importantly, into a lowered position where she could more easily peek at his face). Then she blinked at Shino's diagnosis.  
  
"Trance! Ah, that's - " Sakura had opened her mouth to inform him that she also liked trance, but she stopped herself just in the nick of time. But wait! What if Shino-san didn't like trance?! He certainly didn't sound enthused about that girl's taste in music. Omigod, what if Shino-san had an utter distaste for trance, as she suspected?! Then she certainly couldn't tell him that she liked trance! Oh no no no, what to do!  
  
She swallowed hard. No, she had to ask him. This would be the first of their many moments of truth. This would be the first sign of whether they were truly meant for each other! Well, at least as "meant for each other" as a pair of fledgling 13 year olds could be.  
  
She hesitantly murmured, "Um, Shino-san ... do you ... like ... trance?"  
  
"Mmm." Shino seemed oblivious to the fact that her voice had almost tailed off into a whisper. "It is ok. No different from any of the other music genres, really."  
  
Emboldened by Shino's disinclination to denounce trance as a rotten soulless artificial imitation of real music, Sakura immediately amped up her miniscule voice back to what she thought was normal volume ... only to find out that she had drastically overcompensated, and that she was now wildly trumpeting like a bull elephant who had just been kicked in the groin.  
  
"NO DIFFERENT, SHINO-SAN?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT - ack! Sorry, too loud!"  
  
Predictably enough, her sudden outburst had not bugged the bug boy one bit. "Sakura-san, I am of the opinion that no single music genre is superior to all other genres, and that each music genre has its share of talented artists. When you listen to music created by those artists, their talent and ability should shine through, no matter the method or instruments through which the artist has chosen to express himself."  
  
"Errr, uh, yeah. I think I get what you're saying, Shino-san." Both Inner and Outer Sakura were busy scrunching their eyebrows at the overly philosophical zinger which had just whistled over their heads. "So, you're basically saying that you have no favorite type of music?"  
  
"Oh no, I do have my preferences, Sakura-san."  
  
For some insane reason, Shino left it at that, not bothering to divulge what his favorite type of music was. Of course, Inner Sakura promptly went bonkers, her insatiable curiosity escalating to dangerously volatile levels while Outer Sakura politely prodded him along.  
  
"So, Shino-san, what is your favorite type of music?"  
  
"Rock. Mostly alternative rock. I also like doo wop - "  
  
"You like doo wop?!" Much to Shino's masked surprise, Sakura's eyes were turning into starry puddles of liquid lovey-dovey. "Oh wow, what a coincidence, Shino-san! I absolutely LOVE doo wop!"  
  
"You do?"  
  
"Of course I do! I adore those oldies songs where the men are always crooning and serenading about ladies and love and romance and oooh, oooh, oooh, but the best part about doo wop is that it is so much fun to dance to!"  
  
Shino's nose twitched at the mention of dancing. But the raving Sakura paid no heed, the love-starved kuniochi now convinced that she had finally found her soulmate. Or, at the very least, she had found someone to dance with.  
  
"I mean, when Ino and I were little, we were always hanging out in her room and listening to oldies and dancing like crazy, it was so much fun, say, you know what would be great, Shino-san, we should go dancing sometime! You, me, Ino, and, um, Shika? Nah, he's too lazy, Choji? Nah, he's kind of, um, well, I don't think he would be a good dancer. Oh boy, I know, you can bring that smelly butthead Kiba along! Kiba's annoying, but, you know, just three people doesn't quite add up, it's an odd number - "  
  
"I don't dance."  
  
Sakura had been doing her own excited little jig, but now she froze, her arms and legs sticking out at interesting angles while her tush was thrust out in mid-rumpshake. Shino didn't dance? Her jaw dropped agape, and the blood underlying her delighted rosy face drained away from the inside, until her face was nothing but a melancholy withered shell of former self.  
  
The arms and legs dropped down to a deadened dangle, while the wayward tush pulled itself back to within the realms of propriety. Sakura mumbled in mourning, "You don't dance? Not even a little?"  
  
Shino was alarmed by the bordering-on-suicidal depression which seemed to have taken over the kuniochi, and he immediately tried to improvise. "Sakura-san, I do try to dance occasionally. Unfortunately, I am not very good at it."  
  
She brightened a bit at that. "Oh, I see. Well, don't worry about it! As long as you're trying, that's all that counts!"  
  
"Hmm."  
  
Shino was nodding, but it was obvious to the whole world that he had reservations about taking to a dance floor anytime soon. So Sakura tried to prod him further along, inch by inch, like a swarthy one-eyed pirate would do to a condemned prisoner walking the plank high above shark-infested waters. "Come on, Shino-san! You can't possibly be as bad as you think you are!"  
  
"Yes, I am." Firm and resolute, as always.  
  
"Aww. Come on! It will be fun if all of us go! Let's give it one try, at least!"  
  
"No thank you."  
  
"Just once! How about tomorrow evening?"  
  
"Sorry, I'm busy tomorrow evening."  
  
"Geez! Next week, then?"  
  
"Mmm."

A dreadfully long pause from Shino. Then he abruptly stopped in his tracks. Without even thinking or asking, she instinctively followed his actions, the soles of her plodding sandals screeching against the pavement as she jerked to a similar halt. Her body still minutely wavering back and forth, recovering from the screeching halt which she had imposed upon herself, the green eyes, surprised and confused, gazed up at Shino, wondering, waiting for his answer.

Still silent, he was staring off in the distance to his right, face showing nothing, yet a tangible air of deliberation had settled about the bug boy and the forehead girl; evidently, he was mulling over something ... he was staring so intently, Sakura couldn't help but look to her right, and she realized that they were now standing next to the grassy plain of Training Area #1, the same area where, just yesterday, she had practiced Kage Bunshin, mastered Katon Goukyaku no Jutsu, and roasted Shino-san to a mild crisp.

Still staring off, he was speaking now, jarring her out of her contemplation. "Sakura-san?"

"Yes?"

"Shall we go out onto the field?"

"Aahhrrgg! He changed the subject!" Inner Sakura was thrashing about face-first on the ground, throwing a temper tantrum of monumental proportions, her body twisting and flopping so much that she was practically breakdancing now. "Again! He changed the subject on me _again_!"

Meanwhile, Outer Sakura was murmuring, "The field? Um..." She gazed out at the seemingly peaceful sunny grass field, somehow getting the feeling that they were not here by accident. That, with infinite subtlety, Shino had led her here for a reason. She did not know why he had done so, but whatever the reason, despite the seemingly innocuous nature of his request, it was causing her to hesitate.

Suddenly unsure of herself, she repeated in a retarded manner more fitting for a hirsute caveman than the dainty and refined specimen of a girl which she fancied herself to be: "Uh... field?"

"Mmm." Shino nodded in confirmation of her quizzical Neanderthal grunt. "The field."

Caveman Sakura's noncommital response: "Uh. Field?" She had no idea why she was hesitating like this. What was the big deal? After all, she and Shino had hung out here only yesterday...

No, no, no, this time, it was so much different. Yesterday, they were just hanging out here, chilling as friends. But now? They were out here together. Alone, like yesterday. Yet, nothing like yesterday. Now she was so much more conscious of the fact that it was just the two of them, with nary another soul in sight. The two of them, no longer quite just friends anymore... she wasn't sure what they were now. And it was weirding her out something awful. Why? Why! Why did he bring her here alone? Granted, this place was so pleasant and quiet and peaceful, it really was a rather romantic setting, now that she thought about it - omigod, did Shino-san have devious designs to sidle up to her and plant an Aburame-style kiss upon her pristine virgin lips, did he? No, no, no, no way! No, she wasn't ready for that! Besides, it wasn't possible, a nice proper guy like Shino would never do that! Never! Sure, he was a little weird, but he wasn't some pushy cretinous creep who would force himself onto a sweet innocent girl like herself! He was so reserved and strict and self-imposed - but, wait, on the other hand, she had heard so many things about how it was the quiet ones you had to watch out for! You never knew what they were thinking! And if anything, Shino was such a person, Sakura almost never knew what was going on inside his head! He was always so darned mysterious! Argh!

It was fairly obvious that the gears of her finely tuned brain were laboriously grinding, victimized by the errant monkey wrench which Shino's question had thrown into the cogs. She struggled to make sense of the indecipherable bug boy, Sakura imperceptibly rocking back and forth on her heels, all ten fingers conjoined in a frantic phalange hubbub as they fidgeted uselessly and endlessly. Her lips were apart now, jaw hanging a bit open as she gaped forwardly like a person suffering from autism. Her eyes had filled out into an almost drugged dreamlike haze, not unlike that induced by a number of nibbles on peyote root...

Shino explained himself: "I just want to sit down."

"Uh... sit... sit?!" Shaman Sakura now snapped out of her seemingly drug-induced phase, vigorously waving away the nonexistent fumes of incense. "Sit down?! Where?!"

He nodded over to a fallen log maybe ten yards away. "There."

His requests so disarmingly simple and innocent, Sakura was now beating herself up for being such a distrustful little harpy. Gah, what was she thinking?! This was Shino-san, after all! All he had ever been was super-nice and super-polite and super-sweet to her (well, as sweet as a taciturn introvert could be), how could she think so lowly of his intentions?! Oh, she had no idea why she was behaving like so...

Before she knew it, she now realized that she had already said "Ok!", and the two were tromping out onto the grassy field. Eager to make amends for her outrageous unfounded suspicions, she tried to brighten up the already sunny day with a big yet careful smile. She said rather truthfully, "Well, now that I think about it, I guess I am feeling a little drained... it would definitely be nice to sit down for a little while!"

"Mmm." Shino nodded. "Plus, it would not be wise of us to walk much further into the wilderness, considering the guerilla attacks which our village has recently suffered."

"Oh." Sakura blinked at the blunt practicality of Shino's intentions. "Oh yeah - yaarrgghh! Shino-san, look out! Behind you!"

A thundercloud of angrily-buzzing wasps had suddenly popped up around Shino, and Sakura yowled in alarm, madly jumping up and down and anxiously flapping her arms in a curious style of jumping jack. "Shino-san, run! Run! There's a bunch of bees behind you, and they're going to sting you to death, omigod, there's so many of them! Go away, you stupid things, leave us alone!"

Shino stopped walking to hold out a soothing hand towards her direction. "Do not worry, Sakura-san. They will not hurt me."

Sakura stopped doing her jumping jacks. "They won't?!"

"I am talking with them. I am asking them to calm down, and they are listening to me."

"Oh..." Sakura ahhh'd in revelation. "You can talk to insects other than your bugs?"

Shino nodded, totally at ease with the dense cloud of buzzing fury all around him. "Correct."

"Whoa, that is so cool! So, why did they show up all of a sudden? Did they come out to say hello to you?"

"Mmm." Shino looked down at her feet. "Actually, they came out because you are standing on the entrance to their nest."

"I am?"

Too disconcerted to be alarmed just yet, Sakura looked down to see a hole in the ground between her two feet, maybe the size of a golf ball. The hole also seemed rather demolished, due to the fact that she had been jumping up and down on it for the past ten seconds. However, that did not seem to hinder its occupants as more and more angry wasps poured out by the second, coming dangerously close to the flawless skin of her precious bare legs -

"Yahhhhhh!" The girl freaked out, understandably enough, as, with Gai-sensei quickness, she threw herself off to the side and hopefully out of harm's way. "Omigod, the bees were under me all this time?!"

"Mmm." Shino nodded. "It was all I could do to ask them not to attack you."

Sakura blared, "They were going to attack me?!"

"Yes. Wasps normally attack those who tread upon their homes. But fear not, Sakura-san. I heard their aggressive intentions as soon as you stepped on their home, and I immediately asked them to leave us alone."

"Oh..." Sakura broke out into a small reddened smile as she stood up to dust herself off and pick up her daffodil bouquet from the grass. "Um, thank you, Shino-san."

"Not a problem. Are you okay?"

A nod, accompanied by a relieved exhale. "I'm okay. Wow, those bees, err, wasps, they had me scared for a moment there! Tell them I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to jump all over their home!"

"Do not worry, Sakura-san. It is over." Apparently Shino's role as liaison between Sakura and the wasps had ended, as the wasps, their anger dwindling in focus and volume, started to return to their home. He now gestured to the log. "So, shall we sit down?"

"Yes, let's." A visibly drained Sakura practically crawled towards the log and pulled herself onto it, relishing the roasty warmth encased inside the sun-dried bark of an almost styrofoam texture. Shino, meanwhile, solemnly seated himself a cautious yet miniscule distance away from her, his hands jammed into his pockets as always. The kunoichi was taking a moment to gather herself as she contemplated her near-death (or, at the very least, near-painful) experience, and after one final deep breath of composure, she finally asked:

"I was just curious, Shino-san, um, what exactly do you and your bug buddies talk about?"

"Well." Shino paused, as he thought of a way to best describe. "We do not converse in the literal sense, of course. Insects are not capable of the conscious thought processes which we have." Another pause. "I suppose one could say that, when I communicate with insects, I simply sense what they feel."

"You mean, you can feel what they're feeling? Like their emotions and stuff?"

"Yes. I feel what they feel." A pause, as he deliberated. Then he said, "I do not think it can even be described as emotion. It is more raw. More primitive. More base than even something as primordial as emotion." He showed a rare moment of hesitation now. "I do not know how else to describe it, Sakura-san. I just feel."

"Mmm!" Fascinated by his little discourse, Sakura said nothing more as she eagerly nodded, physically encouraging him to further describe what he just said he could not describe.

So, he tried to further describe. "The most common feeling I sense from insects is contentment. Actually, not quite. You would think that contentment is such a simple emotion, but even then, what they feel is not as complex as that. What they feel is..." He paused, his normally intense wrought-iron forehead now molding itself into an even more intense gate of eyebrow. "They just feel right with themselves. They exist on this world for a purpose, and when they are fulfilling their purpose, they are happy. They are content - no, not quite happy or content, like I said. But..."

He looked to her, his deadpan somehow conveying a sense of helplessness. "Do you understand what I am trying to say?"

She zealously nodded. "I understand, Shino-san!" Then hesitation. "Er, um, at least I think I do..."

Shino tried again. "For example, when a bee is returning to its hive, its stomach full of nectar and its legs heavy with pollen, it feels. It feels like it is serving its purpose. It feels that its existence is validated in this world. It feels in harmony with mother nature. It feels... mmm..." A silent sigh of defeat from Shino, and an invisible shrug. "The bee, it just feels right. I simply do not know how else to say this."

Sakura offered a little smile. "So, you are basically saying it feels contentment?"

"I suppose." An invisible smile. "Not quite, but I suppose that will do."

"Okay..." Sakura truly felt drugged now, somewhat hypnotized by the deep tranquility of the Aburame baritone, the baritone which Shino's father insisted to be irresistible to all women. "So... um... insects are always content?"

"Not always. As you saw earlier, they can be very angry. They can be agitated."

Sakura perked up from the hypnotic state, as she wondered out loud, "But they are not quite angry, right? And not quite agitated? Just like how they are not quite content?"

"Yes, Sakura-san. Just like that."

She could have sworn she saw a smile just now somewhere underneath that deadpan, and she squirmed in delight as Shino continued: "For the most part, however, the insects just feel right, and nothing else. They do not have much on their minds. After all, they are only insects."

"Right." Sakura was smiling, tickled by his stating the obvious. "Wow, Shino-san, do you think about this stuff a lot?"

Shake of the head. "Not really. I have had this ability since I can remember, so this is all second nature to me."

"That's right," Sakura thought to herself. "Gai-sensei did say that the Aburame clan members were bound to their bug contracts from birth..." She then asked, "So, you could talk with bugs ever since you were a child?"

"Yes. The moment an Aburame is born, he or she is bound to a contract with the Kikai bugs."

"Oh, I see." Sakura cringed, as she then slowly asked, "But those types of contracts are bound by, um, blood, right?"

He simply said: "Yes."

"Oh." Sakura cringed again. "Ouch."

"My parents said that it was barely more than a scratch. I am sure it did not hurt much."

She worriedly murmured, "Mmm, if you say so..." Then a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "Just in case."

His fiercely tense brow relaxed a bit. Nowhere near soft, of course, but not quite as hard. "Thank you." A pause. "Make no mistake, though. I am glad that I grew up with these abilities. The benefits far outweigh the drawbacks."

She promptly babbled, "No no no, Shino-san, I didn't mean anything like that! I know that you're fine being the way you are, it's just that, you know, stuff like that sounds really painful! I mean, everyone goes through at least some sort of difficulty while growing up, you know, whether it's bug contracts or, well, in my case." She sheepishly pointed at her own not-so-intense brow. "A big ugly forehead."

Shino blinked from behind the sunglasses. "Your forehead is not ugly."

Mightily pleased by his earnest flattery, a positively glowing Sakura piped up, "Oh, I know that! It's just that, you know." She rambled a little now, trying to get her sentences over with as quickly as possible. "When I was a little kid, some people made fun of my forehead because I was always trying to hide it and stuff."

"Mmm." Shino nodded. "Children will be children."

"Yeah," agreed Sakura. "I guess kids don't know any better."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence now, and she took the opportunity to close her eyes, immersing herself in body and spirit within the rejuvenating warmth of the blazing sun that watched over them. A few ticks passed by, as her ears focused on the quiet surrounding her: the distant songbirds chirping muted verse, and the balmy breeze blowing into her ears with a gentle sensuality...

"Do you like butterflies?"

"Hmm?" Sakura opened her eyes at the unexpected question. "Butterflies?" She sat up straight now and briskly nodded twice. "Mmm, yes, I think butterflies are nice. They can be very pretty - oooh oooh oooh!" She repeatedly smacked her hands onto her thighs now. "Shino-san, can you talk to butterflies?!"

"I can." Shino nodded. "Let me see if there are any nearby."

"Oooh oooh oooh!" Sakura couldn't help but hoot in excitement, momentarily reverting back to her Caveman phase. Fighting off the urge to brandish a wooden club over her head and run about hunchbacked with her knuckles dragging against the ground, she said nothing else as she breathlessly watched Shino simply sitting there, the motionless bug boy apparently doing something beyond her comprehension.

After maybe ten seconds, Shino drew a hand from his coat pocket and extended a lone horizontal finger. "One should be here soon."

"Cool! Where is it?" Sakura started to twist and turn as she looked all around. "Ai ya!" She squawked as a startlingly huge shiny blue blur flashed by her nose, beating a few fleeting puffs of wind against her face. As she instinctively jerked her head away, she blindly called out, "Wow, was that the butterfly?!"

"Yes, it is."

Sakura immediately turned her head back to see quite simply the most majestic butterfly she had ever seen. The wings were unlike anything she had ever seen before, expansive at almost half a foot across, lordly shaped with two flamboyant teardrop-shaped tails streaming from the back like medieval banners of war, the colors a brilliant iridescent aqua-cyan bordered by a tuxedo black. The impressive insect even behaved in a manner fitting for a creature of such regal appearance; it was sedately perched upon Shino's finger, leisurely waving its wings in a rhythmic cadence reminiscent of effortless breathing, the lengthy antennae thrust upwards and out like lofty unadorned flagpoles.

She marveled with open eyes and mouth: "Wow, it's huge!"

"Mmm." Shino nodded, his usual understated reaction possibly indicating that the erudite nin was already familiar with the details concerning this colorful creature before them. Then he confirmed the possibility of familiarity, as he stated from memory: "This is the Ulysses butterfly, from the family _Papilionidae_. It is also known as the Blue Mountain Swallowtail butterfly, because of these two things here." His other hand reached up to place a finger by the pair of teardrop-shaped tails which she had noticed earlier. "Its native habitat is the eastern tropical islands, but I observed a while ago that they have flourished in this area, most likely due to Konoha's moderate climate. The male butterflies are the more brightly colored ones, and they use their plumage to attract potential mates."

"This one is a male, huh?"

"Yes, it is."

"I knew it! The colors are so bright and beautiful, it has to be a male!" Sakura was now hunched over and peering dangerously close to the butterfly, but the butterfly, most likely due to Shino's influence, was imperturbable and not bothered the slightest bit by her rudeness. "What does it eat? Can I feed it?!"

"Butterflies feed on the nectar from flowers - "

"I have flowers! Right here!" Sakura promptly presented her bouquet of daffodils to the butterfly. "Here! Eat up, Mr. Butterfly!"

The butterfly just sat there, ignoring the bouquet.

Sakura blinked in surprise, then shook the flowers once, wondering if maybe she did not have the butterfly's attention. "Come on, Mr. Butterfly, eat up!" Her face then broadened into that wide eerie smile which a mother always put on whenever she tried to spoon-feed her uncooperative baby. "Mmmm, look here, Mr. Butterfly! Look at this! It's daffodils! Super juicy, super yummy, and super, um, super nectary! Mmm, freshly plucked from Ino's store, too! Yummy yummy, good for your tummy!"

The butterfly just sat there, unimpressed by Sakura's sales pitch.

"Mmm." Shino grunted now. "Sorry, Sakura-san, but the butterfly has told me that it is not hungry."

"It's not hungry?!" Her face grew into a woefully long caricature of its normal round self, and she sadly whimpered, "So, it doesn't want to eat from my daffodils?"

"Not anytime soon." A pause from Shino. "It seems to be a little thirsty, though."

Sakura blinked. "Butterflies drink water?!"

"Yes. In very small quantities, of course, but they need to drink water for the mineral content."

Sakura was no longer listening, as she immediately started to swivel her head around in search of water. But Shino now held up a hand. "I will provide the water, Sakura-san."

"You have water? Cool!" She held out a cupped hand expectantly. "Can I have some?!"

"No problem. Sakura-san, please stay still for now."

"Okay!" She was statue-still now, promising to herself that she would stay motionless no matter what. "What are we going to do - whoa!" She promptly broke her self-promise, jumping in surprise as the butterfly practically hopped onto her shoulder from Shino's finger, the emblazoned wings fluttering a few times at most. "Shino-san, did you tell it to move over to me?!"

"Yes, I did." Shino was standing up now, flexing his fingers. "I am sorry, I should have warned you. You do not like the butterfly being on your shoulder?"

Sakura gushed as she admired the exotic masterpiece upon her shoulder. "Far from it, Shino-san! I love it!" She then blinked when she realized that Shino seemed to be preparing to perform a jutsu, of all things. "Shino-san, what are you doing?"

"I am going to perform a jutsu and provide you with some water."

A surprised Sakura asked, "You know water jutsus?" Water jutsus were rarely used among Konoha nins, Konoha nins tending to focus more on fire jutsus than anything else.

"I know one water jutsu."

Somehow, this was even more surprising to Sakura. "Only one? Why only one?"

"It is not a combat jutsu," Shino explained. "It is for my bugs."

Sakura scrunched her face at the mysterious bug boy's mysterious explanation. "I don't get it."

"You will see."

"Oooh, okay." Sakura was banging her hands together as she anxiously waited, wondering what sort of cool trick Shino-san was going to show her now. "Let's see it, Shino-san!"

"Mmm. Here goes." With great deliberation, Shino then placed his hands together in a seal, as he solemnly said: "Suiton! Mizutamari No Jutsu!" _(Water Element! Water Puddle No Jutsu!)_

What?! Water Puddle No Jutsu?! Sakura's jaw dropped like a stone and hit the dirt, as a poof of smoke appeared at Shino's feet. An incredulous Sakura then watched as the smoke quickly dissipated to reveal a dinky little puddle so shallow, it looked like it was going to evaporate any minute now.

The astonished Sakura blurted with the elegance of a tuba: "Water Puddle No Jutsu?! Shino-san, you can't be serious!"

"Hmm?" Shino's brow creased in confusion. "Why do you say that?"

"Shino-san, come on! It's a _water puddle_!" Sakura desperately tried to hold back the laughter, since she could see that Shino was utterly serious about his silly little water jutsu. However, she failed miserably, and she began to uncontrollably giggle like a mad scientist, her hands over her mouth and attempting to smother her teasing snorts.

After watching Sakura choke down a few strangled giggles, Shino and his brow flexed upwards in a sign of concession. "Sakura-san, I understand why you would consider a water puddle to be of little consequence. However, this puddle does serve a purpose. It enables my bugs to drink without fear of drowning or being swept away by strong currents."

The kunoichi was regaining her composure now, and she sucked in a deep breath to further calm herself down. However, she was still smiling delightedly as she said, "Oh, Shino-san, you really can be a funny guy sometimes."

He thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "Better than never being funny at all, I suppose."

"Yes, much better." Sakura grinned as she squatted down to dab her hands into the puddle. A cluster of droplets now sat on her palms, and she looked up to Shino, holding out her splattered hands for inspection. "Can the butterfly drink from this?"

"It can." Shino looked briefly to the butterfly, as a wordless communication passed between them. Then, without a moment's hesitation, the butterfly fluttered down from her shoulder and into her cupped hands, legs braced as it lowered its head into one of the droplets.

Sakura could not quite tell what was going on as she peered down at the butterfly, and she asked with her eyes intently fixed on the delicately veined wings: "Is it drinking now?"

A nod from Shino. "Yes, it is."

A slightly skeptical grunt from Sakura. "Hmmmm, are you sure it's drinking now, Shino-san? I don't see any water disappearing or anything."

Amusement emanated from the coat-clad Shino. "Butterflies drink very slowly. You may have to hold still for a while before it finishes."

"No problem! I can wait!" The squatting Sakura now assumed a more comfortable cross-legged sitting position as she beamed up to the bug boy. Then she returned her attention back to the butterfly... she said, her words aimed more towards her hands than towards Shino: "So, is the butterfly happy now that it is no longer thirsty?"

"Mmm. Almost happy. But not quite happy."

"Oh yeah." Sakura grinned. "It doesn't feel happy. It just feels right."

"Correct."

"Hmm!" She chuckled to herself as she continued to watch the butterfly chug down microscopic amounts of water droplet...

Shino simply stood and watched. The standing Shino watched the sitting Sakura, and the sitting Sakura watched the drinking butterfly. He could see that the girl was now oblivious to him and the outside world. A few stray pink hairs danced with the wind across her (charmingly wide) forehead, but she paid no heed at all, her breathless anxious lips hanging slightly open in a perfect O, the enraptured eyes glowing in delight as a fragile yet gorgeous creature of nature replenished itself inside the motherly confines of her sheltering hands...

Sakura felt the gaze from behind those sunglasses of his. It was an unmistakable sensation, really. The gaze was so palpable. Tangible. It had tendrils, tendrils which reached out for her. And they were all over her. Probing. Penetrating. Disrobing. Their tactile roaming left no stone unturned, moving from her reddening face to her delicate neck. Then they moved to her sleeveless shoulders, so conspicuously naked now underneath his gaze, and she shivered from their feathery touch.

His gaze was not quite sexual. But it was everything else. Craving. Wanting. Possessive. Adoring. She had never felt anything like this before, needless to say. Nothing like the boyish doting eyes of Naruto and Lee-san. This was overwhelming. Enveloping. Masculine.

Then it was gone. He was still looking at her, but the gaze was immaterial now. Perhaps Shino-san had sensed her discomfort? Yes, he must have...

But now that it was gone, she wanted it back. She wanted another taste. She wanted to experience more of that unfiltered drive of his. None of the etiquette. None of the politeness. None of that clandestine Aburame mystique. Just raw.

She carefully looked up from the butterfly, managing to look him straight in the eye, emboldened by the fresh memory of his yearning touch. "Shino-san?"

"Yes, Sakura-san?"

"Did you want to say something?"

"Mmm." Shino looked away now. "I was just thinking."

"Thinking about what?"

"I was just thinking that I feel like the butterfly."

Sakura blinked at the unexpected answer. "Why do you say that?"

"As the butterfly drinks from your hands, it is at peace. Inside your hands, the butterfly feels right."

"And you feel the same way?"

"Mmm." A slow nod. "When I stand here with you on this field. With the butterfly in your hands... it just..." He almost helplessly shrugged from inside his looming coat. "It just feels right. I am not sure if you will understand."

After he managed to force those words from his lips, he waited, watching as she blinked in confusion, her incredible intellect not quite grasping or understanding... and then she smiled, much to his relief.

"I understand, Shino-san."

* * *

They were now going their separate ways. Sakura had promised Naruto that she would see him off before he left on a training expedition with Jiraiya-san, while Shino had his own upcoming training exercise scheduled with his father. The butterfly was gone, having finished its draught. Her hands were now dry, not because the butterfly had drank all the water, but because she has briskly wiped them a few times against her skirt. Shino was now facing east. She was now facing west.

Shino bowed his head with the formality of a courtier in front of royalty. "Thank you for taking the time to walk with me, Sakura-san. I truly enjoyed it."

Sakura almost spontaneously giggled at his ridiculously and utterly serious tone, but she managed to hold it in. "I liked it too, Shino-san, hey, we should do it again sometime! You know, hang out more often!"

"Mmm." Shino gravely nodded. "I would like that."

"We could tromp through more fields, maybe you could show me some more interesting creatures out there..."

"That would be fun."

She then innocently added, "Or, we could all go dancing."

Shino nodded. "Yes, that would also be fun - " He stopped, as a trace of fear flashed over his face. "Dancing?" Hesitations abounds. "Ahh. Hmm."

"Geez, you're such a party pooper!" She grinned to show that she was just kidding. But then she lowered her voice, to show how serious she was as she said, "And thank you for the flowers, Shino-san. I really do like them."

His face is back to its serene smooth. "You're welcome, Sakura-san."

She glanced at her wristwatch. "Well, okay! I think it's time for me to go wave bye bye to Naruto... oh, Shino-san, can I ask you just one quick little question?"

"Hmm? Sure."

"What day is your birthday?"

Shino's brow crooked in the slightest of confusion. "January 23rd. Why do you ask?"

In as innocent a tone as she could muster: "Oh, nothing! Nothing at all! Just wondering!"

"Mmm." Now he could not help but wonder what she could possibly be cooking up within her devious kunoichi mind... "Well, you have a good day, Sakura-san. And again, thank you for spending time with me."

"You're welcome!" Big glowing smile. "Bye, Shino-san!"

And with that, they went their separate ways.

* * *

Alone now, Shino had been walking for no more than two minutes, when he ran smack dab into Kiba and the trusty Akamaru. The canine duo was visibly battered and bruised, and the bug boy had to raise an eyebrow at the sight of Kiba holding an ice pack against a bright black shiner over his left eye. He then looked down at Akamaru, to see that the poor whimpering puppy also had a matching nasty bruise over his own left eye.

Three fourths of Team 8 now came to a halt in the middle of the street. A brief pause, while Kiba steamed and stewed, his obvious frustration aimed squarely at his introverted teammate...

Shino asked, "What is it?"

Kiba lowered the ice pack so he could better bellow. "Dude, Shino! What gives?!"

"Hmm?"

"What happened between you and Ino?! You _did_ say that you liked Ino, right?!"

* * *

While a contrite Shino and a fuming Kiba sorted things out between themselves, on the other side of town, Sakura was briskly walking straight towards her home, her legs rapidly and awkwardly alternating in that comically stiff manner with which speedwalkers moved about. She did not want to waste a single second before she could place her daffodils into a vase full of lightly salted water...

But right now, more important things were on her mind. "So, if Shino-san was born on Januray 23rd, that would make him an Aquarius... and since I'm an Aries... Aquarius and Aries... it could definitely work out between us!"

Her step momentarily broke out into out a joyful skip, as she recalled what she knew about the Aries-Aquarius relationship. Hmm, it was not the most optimal combination, but it was still a favorable sign overall. For Aries-Aquarius to succeed, one side would have to be willing to listen and allow the other side to dominate... and of course, Shino-san was already a very good listener, so really, it was common sense - no, it was to be expected! - that she should be the one to assume the dominant role.

Sakura had no qualms about fulfilling that role, of course, and she was sure Shino would not have any objections, either. So, it was decided: she would be the one giving the orders, and Shino would be the one doing what he was told. Ah yes, Sakura thought to herself as she cackled in sadistic glee, thinking of all the things she would make Shino do. First things first. She would have to ask him to stop wearing corduroy. During their little walk and talk, she had refrained from commenting on this subject, but she could see that he had on a corduroy shirt underneath that jacket of his, and arrrrgh, if she had told him once, she had told him a hundred times, corduroy was an absolute fashion killer in the worst way possible! He would, of course, counter with his usual argument that corduroy was practical and functional everyday clothing for a ninja, but that was no big deal, she would just make him see things her way, huhahahahaha!

Eventually, however, the disturbingly tyrannical smile on the face of Despot Sakura eventually gave way to a softer and more benign wrinkle, as she glanced down at the daffodils inside her arms. That Shino-san. Such a total sphinx beforehand. Still quite the enigma afterwards. But still, she felt like she knew him so much better now, even though, really, she didn't. She was sure that there was so much more going on inside that weirdo head of his, she wanted more, more more more, she wanted to take up a sledgehammer and break open his head (in a figurative sense, of course), she wanted it all! And unlike Sasuke-kun, she had a feeling that Shino-san would actually be somewhat accommodating. Unlike Sasuke-kun, Shino-san didn't seem to mind whenever she took a crowbar to his head and pried his lid open just a little bit further -

Sasuke-kun. Wow. Weird. She had completely forgotten about him for practically the entire day. Her most recent fleeting thought of the Uchiha had been at the crack of dawn, when she first woke up and laid eyes upon her wall's framed photo of Team 7...

A brash woman's voice from high above: "Hey you! Yeah, you!"

A surprised Sakura looked away from the daffodils and up to the rooftops, where that rowdy round-faced special jounin, Anko Mitarashi, stood with wildly waving arms. Sakura called out, "Oh, hi, Anko-san! How are you?"

Skipping pleasantries altogether, Anko did not mince her words. "Have you heard yet?! Kakashi and Uchiha Sasuke are back in town!"

The already cheery Sakura brightened even further at the welcome news of her comrades' return. "Really? Where are they?!"

"They're at the hospital! But don't worry - "

Sakura's face went white, and the flowers nearly dropped due to the sudden slackness of her hands. "Hospital?"

"Hey, don't worry, Tsunade-sama can heal anything!"

"What happened?!"

"On their way back, Kakashi and Uchiha ran into some trouble, and we had to dispatch a rescue team to bring them in, but like I said, don't worry, they won't die so long as Tsunade-sama is taking care of them!"

Die?! Death?! What?! All around her, Sakura's joyful giddy world was collapsing into the chaos of disaster as she fairly screamed, "They're dying?!"

"Uchiha's condition is stable, but Kakashi is hurt pretty bad - "

Another shrill scream. "How bad?!"

Anko hesitated now, never a good sign when it came from someone as self-assured as herself. "Uh, I hear he's unconscious. Might be in a coma - "

Sakura was already off, running down the street as fast as she could. A second later, Anko was also on her way once again, making her way from rooftop to rooftop...

The street was now deserted. Completely deserted, save for one lone daffodil. The daffodil had slipped out of the bouquet during Sakura's haste, and now it lay on the hard unforgiving concrete. Alone. And forgotten.

A cold breeze kicked up now, and the leaves and petals shivered from the gusts. It was a chilly wind indeed, laced with the hollow emptiness of the wistful... and the unshakable weight of the foreboding.

CHAPTER ENDS  
  
Theme song for the next chapter: "Go With the Flow" by Queens of the Stone Age

Notes: It's been a while, hasn't it? :) Well, well, well! Now that Sasuke is back, you are probably wondering what direction this story is heading towards, right? Well, all I can say is this: the main fight scene of this story will be coming up pretty soon... oh yes, another thing. A sincere thanks to the people who wrote reviews and urged for me to continue this story. I would not have been able to write this chapter without their words. If people didn't care about the story, I wouldn't have cared enough to keep on writing.


	13. Not Enough

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters affiliated with Naruto. 

Official Theme Song for this chapter: None

CHAPTER BEGINS..  
  
_Six hours before the drop of the daffodil..._

"Oh my god! Kakashi!"  
  
Shizune, the right-hand woman of Tsunade and now an active-duty medic nin for Konoha, dropped down from the tree branches to huddle next to the prone and unconscious body of the famous Copy Ninja, Kakashi Hatake. Her expert eyes were already running a diagnosis of his condition, and it was not looking good at all. Numerous lacerations with unclean ragged edges, massive internal bleeding, at least two broken ribs, a partially collapsed lung, laceration and avulsion of a kidney... inflicted by a weapon she was unfamiliar with. Definitely not a smooth-edge blade like katana or kunai. This weapon did not cut; rather, it seemed to tear and rip, like... teeth... perhaps a weapon adorned with thorns?

Incredibly enough, although the physical wounds were fearsome, they were the lesser of her concerns. For she could see that something was terribly wrong with Kakashi's state of mind. Although his heartbeat was still steady, although his breathing was still regular beneath his mask... his face was limp. Expressionless. Lifeless. Kakashi's face was the face of a dead man. His natural eye, the non-Sharingan eye, provided a window into the inner workings of his soul, and right now, she saw absolutely nothing through that window.  
  
With the level-headed urgency of a veteran medic nin, she rapidly assessed the situation: "Genjutsu." The enemy had paralyzed Kakashi's mental faculties with a genjutsu. Then the physical wounds had most likely been inflicted afterwards upon the hapless Copy Ninja, judging from the total absence of self-defense wounds one would normally find on a victim's hands and arms...

Too harried to ponder the implications about who could possibly unleash a genjutsu powerful enough to defeat Kakashi's Sharingan, she tended to the physical wounds first; she could already tell that the mental wounds were beyond her expertise, and that Tsunade-sama would have to see to those. Shizune's hands were glowing softly with the aura of healing chakra, and they now pressed firmly over Kakashi's sturdy pectorals as she hollered out loud now: "Hey! I found one of them - "  
  
She stopped when she realized that her teammates were already landing beside her. Not bothering to look up from her patient, she said out of the corner of her mouth, "Did either of you find Sasuke?"  
  
One of her teammates, Iruka, was clenching a kunai in each fist, as he scanned the surrounding forest for any signs of danger. "Not yet."  
  
Her other teammate and the unlikely leader of this ragtag slapped-together trio of a rescue team, the closet pervert special jounin Ebisu, was all business as he quietly asked, "Report, Shizune. How is Kakashi doing?"  
  
Shizune had now moved her hands to a different area of Kakashi's torso. "We need to take him to a hospital ASAP. I can keep the bleeding to a minimum, but there's a lot of internal damage which requires surgery."  
  
Iruka was sweating rather profusely as he readjusted his grip on his kunai, all of his senses on high alert and augmented to their fullest. His attention still focused on their surroundings, he whispered through tight lips: "Looks like those reported Itachi sightings were true. Only a man like him could have done this... damn it, if only we had found Kakashi and Sasuke before they ran into Itachi!"  
  
Ebisu briefly nodded in agreement with Iruka's mild oaths, as he said, "Shizune, stay here with Kakashi. I've already sent a signal back to headquarters, and ANBU teams will be arriving shortly. You will then go back to the village with the escort of an ANBU patrol." He looked to Iruka now. "Meanwhile, we will search for Sasuke. You sweep west, and I will sweep east. If you find Sasuke, bring him back here if he is able to move. If you find the enemy, do _not_ engage them in combat. Take note of their location, then come back here immediately."  
  
Iruka nodded. "Understood."  
  
While one of Ebisu's hands adjusted his wire-rimmed glasses, the jounin raised the other hand to give the signal. "All right, then ..." The elevated hand now dropped like a stone. "Break!"  
  
In a flash, Iruka and Ebisu were gone, leaving behind an anxious Shizune as she now pressed her healing hands against the largest of the grisly gashes crisscrossing over Kakashi's chest...

* * *

As it turned out, the search for Sasuke ended almost as soon as it had started. Maybe fifteen seconds had passed before Iruka practically stumbled upon the sitting form of Sasuke Uchiha, and with the suction grip of controlled chakra, Iruka's feet and hands abruptly glued themselves to the tree branch he had just landed on. He urgently called down to his former pupil:  
  
"Sasuke! Are you all right?!"  
  
The younger of the Uchiha brothers did not bother to neither look upward nor respond. From his seat on the damp evening earth, he drove a fist into the tree trunk next to him with a sickeningly wet thud. Iruka winced at the sound, and he jumped down from the branch to crouch by the sitting boy. "Sasuke! It's me, Iruka - "  
  
The Chuunin's eyes widened at the horrifically bloody tree trunk before him. Crimson was splattered everywhere, thoroughly soaked, thoroughly beaten into what little bark remained and the bony-white wooden flesh underneath. Sasuke's knuckles, meanwhile, had been reduced to juicy tatters, even more blood now dribbling down the back of his hand and the stiff crimped fingers. And he now drew back the fist for what must have been the thousandth time, ready to pound at the unforgiving roughness of tree bark.  
  
"Sasuke!" Iruka sezied the boy's wrist with his considerably larger hand. "Stop it. Now."  
  
Sasuke did not resist, as his arm fell limp inside Iruka's grip. Iruka strove to make eye contact with the boy, as he whispered, "Sasuke, what's wrong?! If you're worrying about Kakashi, don't worry, Kakashi is alive and well - "  
  
A hushed confession from the blood-speckled lips: "Not enough hatred."  
  
The man could not quite hear the boy. "What was that?"  
  
Sasuke finally lifted his head, but not to meet Iruka's eyes. Instead, he looked up to the morbid blackness high above, and his lips curled into a sadist's sneer as he bitterly chuckled: "Oh god, what have I been doing all this time."  
  
Iruka had no idea what Sasuke was raving about, but he knew that the longer they stayed out here in the open, the more likely danger would find them. "Come on, Sasuke, let's go back to the others."  
  
He started to sling the genin's arm over his shoulder - Iruka stopped at the sight of Sasuke's legs. Oh shit. They were broken. Horribly broken. Broken at the shins, undoubtedly snapped at both the tibia and fibula, grotesquely angled to the extent where each leg seemed to have gained an extra joint.  
  
Sasuke noticed Iruka's eyes, of course, and with his own vacant and sorrowful eyes, he finally gazed into his former teacher, as he recanted in a hollow nostalgic tone: "He broke them because I was following him, Iruka-sensei. He broke them because I was getting in his way and being a nuisance. He told me that he had no interest in me. He told me to stop following him until I got stronger. Until I could kill him - "  
  
Iruka had had enough, as he firmly grasped the boy by the shoulders. "Sasuke, listen to me! You will have your chance to avenge your clan someday! But right now, I need for you to get a grip and stop beating yourself up over this!"  
  
Sasuke's voice was still hollow and unconvincing: "All right."  
  
The boy's insipid response would have to do, Iruka thought to himself, as he scanned the forest high above. Then he leapt up into the leaves, and with a deft slash of a knife hand, severed free a pair of relatively straight branches. Iruka promptly dropped back down by Sasuke's side, and he began to securely fasten and set the broken legs to a pair of crude wooden splints.

Soon, the ANBU teams began to arrive. As it turned out, their presence was not really necessary, as the ANBU deliberately yet aimlessly searched in vain for the most dangerous missing nin to have ever left the Village of the Leaf. The questions began to pour into the deaf ears of Uchiha Sasuke, asking about any clues which his brother might have left behind, but Sasuke did not hear any of it. He dreamily stared up at the starless night sky, thinking of only one thing. He was not thinking about the ANBU's questions. Or Iruka. Nor Kakashi. Not Sakura. Not Naruto. Not even Itachi.  
  
All he could think was one sentence.

"Not ... enough ... hatred ..."

CHAPTER ENDS

Theme song for upcoming chapter: "Go With The Flow" by Queens of the Stone Age

Notes: Ahahaha, I am getting my groove back! I can write again! What a relief... anyways, you have probably noticed that this chapter is really short compared to my other ones. Well, I originally intended to have this be the start of the next chapter, but then I decided that this scene would have more impact if it stood alone as its own chapter. I wanted the readers to really get a feel of how helpless Sasuke feels whenever he compares himself to his brother...

Also, just to warn you guys, I may not really have writer's block anymore, but I am not going to be cranking out chapters every other day or at some ridiculous pace. Every three or four weeks is more like it... but man, before the last couple weeks, I was so stuck, I was writing at such a low level, I was writing retarded stuff like, "Shino happy... Sakura happy... everyone happy! Yay yay yay!" Ok, not that bad, but you get the idea.

Oh, and for the people who have really really really good memories and actually remember stuff from the previous chapters, they might remember that, in chapter two, Iruka was called upon for an emergency mission. Well, I had intended all along for this chapter's rescue mission to be that same mission. That's how far ahead I had been planning! Oh, and people might be wondering why I threw in EBISU, of all people. Well, I wanted to show just how desperate Konoha is in terms of manpower; EBISU is being pressed into duty, let alone Iruka! But then again, it's not total nonsense, since Ebisu IS a high-ranked nin at special jounin. He's gotta be good for SOMETHING beside nose bleeding whenever a hot girl pops up!


	14. Chimpanzee Kakashi

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters affiliated with Naruto. 

Official Theme Song for this chapter: none (any goofy tune would do, really)

CHAPTER BEGINS..

Sakura Haruno fairly skipped down a hallway in Konoha's main hospital, humming and smiling happily as she snugly hugged a pair of gigantic spring flower bouquets to herself...

Twenty four hours ago, Sakura would have never dreamed that she could now be skipping so gaily, with scarcely a worry in her step. But then again, twenty four hours ago, Sakura did not know just how amazing of a medical nin Tsunade-sama was. Anko-san had tried to tell Sakura, of course. Sakura-chan, there is nothing to worry about, Anko had said. Tsunade-sama is tending to them!

However, Sakura had paid no heed to the special jounin, as the female member of Team Seven paced back and forth outside the emergency room which housed both Sasuke-kun and Kakashi-sensei. What was Anko-san talking about?! How could Sakura possibly not worry?! Kakashi-sensei was in a coma! Sasuke-kun was unconscious and maimed, possibly crippled! What in the world was the special jounin talking about?!

Of course, as it turned out, Anko-san had known exactly what she was talking about. Fifteen minutes later, Tsunade-sama had stepped out of the emergency room with a warm genuine smile, a sure sign of good news when it came to facial expressions worn by a doctor. And sure enough, Tsunade-sama informed Sakura that Kakashi-sensei was now in serious but stable condition, and that he had even regained consciousness for a little while. As for Sasuke, the fractures in Sasuke's legs had been clean breaks with no messy complications, and the bones would be fully healed in four weeks tops. As long as those two stayed put in their beds, they would be just fine.

Sakura had then proceeded to gush countless thank you's over and over, practically groveling and worshipping at the very feet of the rather sheepish Tsunade. All Sakura could think was about how strong, beautiful, smart, and perfect their Hokage was, and how, someday, she definitely wanted to grow up to be just like Tsunade-sama... and then Naruto had showed up, the anxious fox boy yelling for someone to give him an update on Kakashi's and Sasuke's conditions. Tsunade told him the good news, and Naruto then promptly gushed in similar gratitude, like Sakura. Unfortunately for Naruto, his choice of words had not been the wisest, as he had said exactly this:

"Yes, I knew it! I knew Oba-san _(Old Lady)_ would never let Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke die! You're the greatest, Oba-san, you're so awesome urrrrk!"

At the "Old Lady" reference, Tsunade had grabbed Naruto by the throat and promptly began to box in his ears. Then Jiraiya-san had barged in to wrest away his prized pupil from the abusive Hokage, informing Tsunade with his most righteous voice that she had no right to pummel his student like so. Of course, while he retrieved the squalling Naruto from Tsunade's hands, he politely asked Sakura how she was doing. A wary Sakura said that she was just fine, and she thanked him again for the Kage Bunshin scroll which he had written for him earlier.

Then, of course, Jiraiya just had to ask if Sakura's mother might be available for a date tonight, since he and Naruto were leaving town the next morning. Of course, both Tsunade and Sakura promptly went ballistic at the Ero Sennin's request, and the two outraged women proceeded to chase away the two fleeing men...

* * *

Back to the present now. As Sakura reached for the doorknob to Kakashi-sensei's room, she could not help but smile at the fresh memory of Tsunade-sama boxing the ears of the poor unwitting Naruto. Really, it wasn't Naruto's fault, Sakura thought to herself; he just didn't know any better...As Sakura started to slowly pull the door open, her ears pricked up in alarm. If she was not mistaken, she was currently listening to the sounds of physical struggle?! Was Kakashi-sensei in trouble?!

Her eyes bulged in horror as she could hear Kakashi-sensei's low voice try to say something, but his voice was muffled! Someone was covering his mouth! Someone was trying to suffocate Kakashi-sensei in his sleep! With his pillow, most likely! Did a foreign ninja infiltrate the hospital?! Perhaps one of those mysterious ninjas behind the guerilla-style attacks on the village?! If so, then today was his unlucky day, because Sakura Haruno was going to put a stop to this! She would fight off anyone who dared to lay a hand upon one of her beloved Team Seven comrades! Rarrr!

With an Inner Sakura bellow, the irate kunoichi, armed with a big-arse flower bouquet clenched in each balled fist of hers, kicked open the door with a furious foot, and she shouted out with the most lethal of glares: "You! Let go of Kakashi-sensei right now!"

Then she gaped as she realized that Shizune-san, Tsunade's right-hand woman and the second-best medical nin in all of Konoha, was currently sprawled all over Kakashi-sensei's bed in what was undoubtedly intimate interaction! Shizune's hands were interlocked with his as she lay supine upon Kakashi's lap, her face flushed as she stared up into his eyes... she was breathing heavily as she struggled to pull herself up to his face, her trembling lips ever so close to Kakashi-sensei's ever-present mask... good lord, what in the world had Sakura walked into?!

Incredibly enough, despite the fact that an attractive young woman was wriggling on his lap, Kakashi was totally nonchalant, as he raised a casual hand of greeting. "Oi, Sakura. Long time no see."

Kakashi-sensei's calm little gesture somehow triggered a massive wave of panic from his student, as Heroic Sakura immediately turned into Beet-Red Totally Embarrassed Sakura, and she squawked out loud, flapping her arms about and sending the bouquets' flower petals flying everywhere as she hollered, "Omigod, I'm so sorry, I didn't know you two were, omigod, omigod, I'll be going now, I'll come back later, Kakashi-sensei, I'm glad to see that you're doing so well, bye bye - "

Shizune called out, "Sakura-chan! Great, you're here!" She beckoned for Sakura to come closer. "Come on, help me take his mask off!"

"His mask?" Sakura gaped at Shizune-san's proposal. "You want to take off his mask?!"

"I have to! I need to take his temperature, but this stubborn fool refuses to take off his mask for the thermometer! He is being so darned difficult about it!"

Sakura repeated to herself once again: "You want to take off his mask?"

While Sakura absorbed the suddenness of it all, Kakashi already knew what was coming. He sighed in resignation, wearing that one exasperated look on his face (a look normally reserved for the bumbling Naruto). "Sakura, please don't do this."

Paying no attention to her sensei for once, Sakura had already dropped the bouquets onto a nearby table, and she went through the motions of rolling up the non-existent sleeves of her breezy ivory-silken double-layered blouse (no, she is not wearing that usual red thing of hers). "No problem, Shizune-san! Let's get that mask off pronto! Oh, and Shizune-san, I was just curious, is Kakashi-sensei cleared for physical contact now?"

The jounin sensei's voice, saddened by his pupil's betrayal: "Sakura... what are you planning..."

Kakashi's sigh fell upon deaf ears, of course, as Shizune hesitated at Sakura's question. "Well, I suppose we could hold down his arms. After all, Kakashi-san is no longer in serious condition. However, he is not supposed to leave the bed for another two weeks - "

Sakura zipped forward to slam her hands down onto Kakashi-sensei's nearest arm, and she hollered, "GOTCHA, Kakashi-sensei! I got him, Shizune-san! Hurry up and take the mask off - crap! He got away!"

Sakura realized that she was now holding onto the extended branch of a kawirimi log. A kawirimi log dressed in a hospital gown, even! With a terrific yell, the teenage girl released the log and jumped to her feet on top of the mattress, and she immediately began to survey the room. "He couldn't have gotten too far away, Shizune-san!"

Shizune was about to ask Sakura to get down from the bed, when she spied a pair of bare feet peeking out from underneath the closed curtains by the room's lone window. Immediately Shizune began to tippy toe across the room, her feet typewriting along the linoleum floor as she called out, "Sakura-chan, please come down from there. No one is allowed to stand on the hospital beds - ah ha!"

Shizune ripped open the curtains to reveal... a freshly-summoned kawirimi log tumbling down to the floor. "Drats! Kakashi-san, please stop doing jutsus this instant! You might injure yourself further! Tsunade-sama told you that you should not use jutsus for at least two more weeks!"

Kakashi's droll voice drifted down from high above the two women's heads. "Sorry for breaking the doctor's orders, Shizune-san, but thanks to your marvelous medical expertise, I believe I am feeling much better now."

The two girls looked up to see the silver-haired jounin clinging to the overhead light fixture, somehow clad in his hospital gown once again. "Yawk?!" Sakura did a double-take as she whirled around to stare down the now-naked kawirimi log at her feet. Kakashi-sensei had snatched away the gown while she wasn't looking?! Geez, that Kakashi-sensei was one sneaky bastard!

"Shizune-san, is it okay if I throw various objects at Kakashi-sensei in order to get him down from the ceiling?"

Kakashi smiled from underneath his mask, his eye disappearing into that jovial squint as he chided his over-zealous student. "Now, now, Sakura, play nice..."

Shizune nodded in agreement with Kakashi. "Sakura-chan, I don't think physical violence is the proper way to convince Kakashi-san to allow us to remove his mask..." She worriedly looked back up at her top-priority patient, who was currently swinging from the ceiling like a hairless chimpanzee. "Kakashi-san, please come down here before you hurt yourself!" She then tried to play the role of disciplinarian, as she put on a scowl and snapped, "If you don't come down this instant, no dinner for you, Kakashi-san!"

Chimpanzee Kakashi yawned as he proceeded to scratched his armpit...

"And no TV!"

Still yawning, the jounin-turned-simian now gazed out the window through the open curtains...

A helpless Shizune turned to Sakura. "Sakura-chan, please help me get him down from there! Surely you must know of something which we can use as leverage against Kakashi-san!"

"Eh... stuff which we can use as leverage against Kakashi-sensei?" Much to Shizune's dismay, Sakura was visibly drawing a total blank across the board. "I dunno, Kakashi-sensei is pretty cavalier about everything in life..."

"Think, Sakura-chan, think! There must be something which Kakashi-san simply cannot do without! For example, maybe a family heirloom?"

Sakura began to shrug. "Sorry, Shizune-san, but I can't think of anything PORN! Where's the porn?!"

Shizune almost fell over in pure adulterated shock. "What?!"

Sakura's eyes flickered from corner to corner - there! She spied that familiar orange well-worn book lying on a small table next to the bed, and she promptly snatched up Kakashi's copy of the latest issue of Come Come Violence. "Hahahaha! I've got you now, Kakashi-sensei!" The kunoichi let out a cackle that would have given even the Wicked Witch of the West a run for her money. "Come down right now, or I tear this book up into itty bitty smithereens of smut!"

Much to Sakura's suprise, however, Kakashi was still not alarmed by any means. As a matter of fact, he began to hum and sway his head from side to side, apparently pseudo-dancing to some unknown song inside his mind...

All the air left the flabbergasted pink-haired one, as the dirty book slapped down onto one of her thighs. "I don't get it, Shizune-san. I could have sworn that this would be the kicker! I swear, every single day, he is reading one of these books! It's like an addiction!"

"An addiction? Interesting... so, he likes to read these books, hmm?" Shizune, the more experienced ninja of the two ladies, was already thinking one step ahead as she walked over to the bed now. She reached out to feel around underneath the pillow... "Aha!" She beamed in victory as she yanked out another orange-covered book from the depths of the pillow-bed crevice. "Look what I found!" She looked up to Kakashi now and waved the book at him. "Do you want to come down now, Kakashi-san?!"

Kakashi was still gazing out the window as he hummed under his breath, "Billie Jean... is not my lover... she's just a girl... who claims that I am the one..."

Sakura now threw up her hands in despair, but Shizune's expert eyes thought she saw something stir within Kakashi's masked face, and she started to feel underneath the bed's mattress as she called out, "Sakura-chan! Start searching the room for any issues of these, um, these books!"

"Got it!" Willing to try anything to get that mask off her sensei's face, Sakura immediately began to rip out the cushions from the sofa - jackpot! "I found one, Shizune-san!"

"Me too!" Shizune produced another floppy novel from underneath the mattress, and she waved it up high for Sakura's benefit. "Good job, Sakura-chan, keep looking!"

"But the kid... is not my son... she says I am the one... but the kid is not my son..." That was Kakashi, of course.

The two kunoichis were now tearing through the room with the destructiveness of a top-class hurricane, and quite honestly, they were mind-boggled by the sheer amount of "literature" which Kakashi had stashed away inside his room. Behind the TV. Underneath the VCR. Taped to the bottom of the table. Taped to the back of the toilet's bowl. Sealed inside a Ziploc bag and jammed into the watery and flowery depths of a large heart-shaped flower vase, which, according to the pink lacey get-well card attached to it, had been sent by the Ichiraku ramen girl, of all people (Sakura had to raise an eyebrow at that odd connection)...

Half an hour later, when it was all said and done, a sweaty and exhausted Shizune and Sakura were finally satisfied that they had gone over every square inch of the room. They had amassed an impressive foot-high mountain of approximately two dozen paperback novels, and as they now surveyed the fruits of their labor, Shizune looked up and sternly reprimanded her misbehaving patient.

"Kakashi-san! Honestly, when did you find the time to hide all of these?! Also, you are not even supposed to leave your bed without the help of a nurse - whoa!"

Shizune and Sakura jumped as Kakashi wordlessly dropped down from the ceiling to silently land on his feet. The masked jounin let one final sigh, and he jumped back into bed and assumed a proper sitting position, just like the good patient which Shizune wanted him to be...

The girls now realized that, due to their book-hunting efforts, Kakashi had given up! He was going to let them take off his mask! Sakura started to do a little victory jig while the calmer Shizune warily asked (just in case Kakashi was trying to get their guard down), "Kakashi-san, are you going to behave yourself now?"

"Hmm..." Kakashi tapped a thoughtful finger against his chin. "Shizune-san, before you remove my mask, I have a request to make."

Shizune grumbled at Kakashi's deliberate sidestepping of her question, but she replied anyways, "What is this request, Kakashi-san?"

"Before you remove the mask, could you please escort Sakura from my room? I would ask her to leave, but I doubt she will listen to my words, unfortunately."

"Very well." Shizune turned to Sakura. "I am sorry, Sakura-chan, but you must respect your sensei's wishes and leave this room now - "

Sakura promptly stopped jigging, and her whining was so loud, it was borderline screaming: "No! Nooooo, Shizune-san, please! Whyyy?! Why do I have to leave?! Please let me stay!"

Shizune tried her best to placate the virtually hysterical genin with a sheepish smile and a scratch to the head. "I am so sorry, Sakura-chan, but you must respect the doctor-patient confidentiality policy of our hospital..."

"Kakashi-sensei, come on! I promise I won't tell anybody! Honest, I won't! If someone asks me to draw your face for them, I won't do it, either! I can't even draw that well, either! Come on, Kakashi-sensei, lemme see, lemme see, pleeease!"

"Mmm... no."

Sakura was pouting so hard, her lower lip was practically dragging along the ground now. "Jeeeeeez, Kakashi-sensei, you're so meeean!" She stomped over to his bed and stuffed one of her flower bouquets into his hands. "Here's some flowers. I hope you like them. I hope you get better soon. I also think you're mean."

"My my, what lovely flowers." Kakashi was doing that jovial eye-squint grin of his again as he held the spring blossoms up to his (masked) nose to take a deep appreciative sniff. "Don't worry about me, Sakura. I'll be up and running again in no time at all."

"Yeah yeah. Can't wait." Sakura was angrily muttering under her breath, but as always, the anger was already receding into nothingness; it was just so darned hard to stay mad at her mild-mannered teacher... she was trying so hard to keep the bitterness in her voice, just to show him that she was still upset with his anal retentiveness concerning his mask, but she failed miserably as she involuntarily broke out into a warm smile. "I'll be back tomorrow, Kakashi-sensei. I am going to go visit Sasuke-kun now."

Kakashi was taking the ramen girl's flowers out of the vase and replacing them with Sakura's. "Mmm. That's nice." His carefree voice sombered a bit now. "Sasuke is not in the best of moods right now, Sakura. Keep that in mind when you see him."

She zealously nodded at her sensei's advice. "I will, Kakashi-sensei!"

"Now, shoo!" Kakashi waved her away. "This old man has had enough excitement for one day."

Obedient Sakura was already out of the room and closing the door behind her. "Bye, Kakashi-sensei! Have a nice day!"

Kakashi waved back. "Bye, Sakura..."

A long pause, as the door finally swung shut... Shizune now closed in on Kakashi, one hand armed with a thermometer, the other hand reaching for that mysterious mask of his... and then Kakashi called out, "Oh, and Sakura. Make sure to close the door completely behind you."

"Ack!" An embarrassed squawk from behind the "closed" door, as a voyeuristic green eye disappeared from the crack of the slightly ajar door. "Darn you, Kakashi-sensei!"

* * *

With an openly irrepressible smile spreading her cheeks wide, Sakura gaily hummed to herself as she skipped down the hallway. Oh, that rascal Kakashi-sensei, Inner Sakura giggled to herself...

But now, even as she turned the corner with her wide smile still permeating throughout her face, the light and happy feet were already slowing down. Her feet and heart alike, both were now being inexorably and inevitably dragged down from behind like a doomed wildebeest in the clutches of a lioness... Apprehension. Fear. Doubt. That was what she felt whenever she was alone with Sasuke. That was how she would soon feel, as with each heavy step, she neared the entrance to his room.

CHAPTER ENDS

Notes: I have to admit something: this chapter was not even supposed to happen. You wouldn't be able to tell from this chapter, but my plan is for this story to become real serious. However, when I started to write about Sakura's visit of Kakashi, all this goofy stuff came into my head (Kakashi singing an old Michael Jackson song) and I could not resist but type it out. I originally wanted to make it quick, and maybe make a little reference about how Kakashi never takes off his mask. But the mask idea took a life of its own, and well, now we have this little chapter. I actually wanted to have the visits of Kakashi and Sasuke in the same chapter, but I decided to separate them because they are worlds different and I think it would subconsciously trivialize the visit of Sasuke within the reader's mind.

The next chapter, Chapter 15, is almost done, too. As a matter of fact, I may upload it on the same day as this one, it is so close to being finished. It depends on if I can form coherent sentences for the last few paragraphs sometime today. You might want to check and see if it's already up.


	15. I Can't

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters affiliated with Naruto. 

Official Theme Song for this chapter: "Go With The Flow" by Queens of the Stone Age

CHAPTER BEGINS..

With an openly irrepressible smile spreading her cheeks wide, Sakura gaily hummed to herself as she skipped down the hallway, the muffled sounds of the still-struggling Shizune-san and Kakashi-sensei growing fainter with each skipping step. Oh, that rascal Kakashi-sensei, Inner Sakura giggled to herself...

But now, even as she turned the corner with her wide smile still permeating throughout her face, the light and happy feet were already slowing down. Her feet and heart alike, both were now being inexorably and inevitably dragged down from behind like a doomed wildebeest in the clutches of a lioness... Apprehension. Fear. Doubt. That was what she felt whenever she was alone with Sasuke. That was how she would soon feel, as with each heavy step, she neared the entrance to his room.

* * *

Of course, these negative feelings were not the only emotions she felt whenever she was with Sasuke, and nor were they the dominant ones. As a matter of fact, quite a few times during the lighter moments of Team Seven's endeavors, she would not even feel them at all, nonexistent for all intents and purposes. But those moments were a lie. Merely a heady and hallucinogenic escape from reality. An ephemeral escape from the reality that, whenever she was alone with Sasuke, she was afraid. Fearful that, as she lay herself vulnerable and naked before him, his tongue could strike her down at anytime, its potentially lethal venom held in check only by his laconic indifference.

So far, thankfully enough, he had not lashed out at her with open venom. And so long as he did not do that, she could bear it. She could wait. She could wait for that one glorious moment in the future when, one day, with an enchantingly warm smile and a gentle loving touch, he would acknowledge her, finally fulfilling the dream which stretched all the way back into her days of toddlerhood.

Sure, he had turned a few cold shoulders here and there. Granted, he often turned deaf ears and mute lips from her attempts at conversation. But she could bear it because, each time she tried, she could just barely feel his armor cracking a micrometer more. She could feel him wanting to break out of the shell he had withdrawn into. She just knew that Sasuke wanted to open up and smile...

* * *

"Sasuke-kun?"

He was sitting upright in his hospital bed much like Kakashi-sensei had been, leaning against a stack of interminably poofy and pristine white pillows. However, while Kakashi-sensei had been busy twisting and turning with Shizune-san reaching and sprawling all over the place, there was no one with Sasuke. Sasuke is alone. By himself. Staring out the window at the bright sunny day, an unusually detached distance embedded inside his normally intense eyes.

Sakura quickly hustled into the room and closed the door behind her. Scooting over to his bedside, she offered a small appeasing smile, a hopeful greeting, and a small wave. "Hello, Sasuke-kun."

His head did not move, but the dark narrow eyes revolved within their sockets to pass over her and her nervous smile. Then they rotated back to their normal straightaway orientation. "Mmm."

Glad that he had acknowledged her (and feeling somewhat silly that she should be so happy over such a monosyllabic grunt of greeting), Sakura immediately bustled about her business: setting up a smallish vase of spring flowers on the tabletop beside his bed, pulling up a chair beside said tabletop, primly seating herself onto chair, placing paper bag onto suddenly-formed lap, and producing a brand spanking new Red Delicious apple from the bag.

While the chair legs squeaked against the linoleum floor, and while the paper bag crackled from her lap, Sasuke did not see any of this. As a matter of fact, he probably did not hear any of it, either. His stare out the window was so empty, yet so involved and engrossed with an issue invisible to her prying eye; his mind churned over something, something which he deemed more important than whatever the heck she was doing right now.

Much to her surprise, he was the first one to break the silence that had settled between them. "When will Naruto be back?"

She hesitated before answering, faintly alarmed by the unusual blankness in his voice. Before, there was always something in his voice. Mostly indifference. Sometimes condescension. Occasionally a simmering anger that hinted of the boiling rage within. But right now, there was nothing. It was as if all the life and fight had been sucked dry from him.

Pushing aside her ill feeling, Sakura said, "Naruto will be back in two or three weeks. Jiraiya-san is taking him on a training trip to - "

"A month," Sasuke interrupted. "Earlier in the morning, Naruto told me that he would be back in a month. Not two or three weeks."

"Oh, he said that?" Sakura sheepishly smiled, her natural reaction to Sasuke's rudeness. "Well, I talked to Naruto about an hour ago, just before he left the village with Jiraiya-san, and he said that he would be back in two or three weeks, at most. I think he is worried about you, so he wants to come back early and check up on you - "

"Ha." A hard-spat chuckle from Sasuke. Totally devoid of mirth. "He's worried about me."

Sakura interpreted his chuckle and statement in the wrong way. "No, Sasuke-kun, Naruto really **is** worried about you! He cares about you!"

Sasuke had not been listening to her, as he muttered on with himself. "Imagine that. Now I'm the weak one. The helpless little loser whom everyone has to worry about." His lips tightened into a hateful half-smile, meant only for himself. "Ha."

She immediately protested, "You're not a loser, Sasuke-kun! You're a great ninja! I don't know anyone else who can - "

Again, Sasuke interrupted, still conversing more with himself than with her. "Look at my legs." His voice cracked now, as emotion started to seep in. "Just look at my legs. They're useless. I'm useless. I am damned useless."

Obeying his request, Sakura did look at his legs. Both of them were entirely encased inside leg-length casts and suspended in the air at a mild angle, thanks to a pair of overhead slings...

Sasuke almost seemed to wail now, even though his voice was still empty of everything. "He broke them because I was following him. He broke them because I was getting in his way and being a nuisance. He told me that he had no interest in me. He told me to stop following him until I got stronger..."

His words abruptly changed direction. "Two weeks. Naruto will be back in two weeks."

Sakura enthusiastically shook her head, eager to change the subject. "Yes, Sasuke-kun, Naruto will be back in two weeks! I'm sure he will! You know him, he never breaks his promises!"

"I will fight him when he returns."

Those words were so ludicrous, at first, Sakura could not think of them as anything other than a badly delivered joke. Even though it was a well-established fact that Sasuke never ever joked. Good lord, Sakura thought to herself. Sasuke-kun's delivery is even worse than Shino-san's...

Forcing herself to laugh a little, she tittered, "Oh Sasuke-kun, come on, don't be silly. Tsunade-sama said that you should stay in bed for at least three weeks - "

Finally. Finally Sasuke looked at her. Finally made eye contact with her. And now that he had, she sorely wished that he had not, because those narrow Uchiha eyes were stabbing like kunai into her fearful wide eyes.

"I will fight him, Sakura." Pointed words now, even more sharp than his kunai eyes. "You will not stop me. That doctor woman won't stop me. No one will stop me."

Shrunk and scared into silence, she only nodded as she hastily looked away, deciding, after a moment, to pay very close attention to the apple in her hands...

Sasuke's eyes dulled now, almost softening as he took in the sight of his cowered teammate. His lips parted slightly, as from deep within the young man, something was surging upwards. And Sakura could feel it. Even though her eyes were glued to the apple, she could feel him softening, she could feel the surge within him. And it summoned a surge within herself, a surge of breathless excitement, as she hoped that maybe, just maybe, Sasuke-kun had something nice to say to her. Maybe an apology. Maybe a compliment. Anything other than the sheer negativity which radiated from every single pore of his being...

The moment came to pass. The Uchiha eyes became blank once again. And Sasuke turned his head away to stare out the window.

* * *

For the next couple minutes, nothing was said. Sasuke simply stared out the window, while Sakura kept herself busy by peeling the apple she had brought. An arduous task for her, to be sure, since she was a novice at such things. But she pressed on, instinctively driven by the urge to stuff fresh food into Sasuke's belly. Following the age-old adage that the quickest way to a man's heart was through his stomach... actually, that was not quite the case; this adage did not quite apply to the situation. Yes, she wanted Sasuke-kun to feel better about himself, and she wanted him to acknowledge her. But her quest for his heart had become murky, nowhere near as crystal clear as it had always been...

Meanwhile, another part of her brain had been assigned to the task of brainstorming potential conversational topics, and now that part had pushed its way to the front of the line, wildly waving its hand all about, frantically vying for her attention. Jutsus, it was hollering over and over. Talk about jutsus! Sasuke-kun is always training and practicing his jutsus! He would surely like to talk about such things!

The rest of Sakura's brain nodded in agreement with the suggestion, quickly arriving at a consensus that decisive action was to be taken. And so, Sakura promptly blabbed before she realized what she was doing: "Sasuke-kun, while you were gone, I mastered Katon! I can do Katon Goukyaku No Jutsu now!" _(Grand Fireball Technique)_

Sakura now held her breath, almost positive that he would compliment her now... but no.

Sasuke continued to stare out the window.

A part of her brain was now chiding herself for the wishful thinking, but she had to press on further. She had to. She needed this. Desperately hoping that maybe Sasuke-kun had not heard her the first time around... knowing that she was only fooling herself with such delusions, she scrabbled, "Of course, it's not like it was easy for me to master Katon, and I doubt my Katon is as powerful as yours, Sasuke-kun, but I did practice a lot every day, and sometimes, I wasn't sure if I was attempting it right because nothing was happening at all, not even a little smoke or anything! But then, a couple days ago, at Training Area #1, I finally got the hang of it..."

She trailed off. It wasn't happening - no, wait! Sasuke was saying something! And joy was all she knew, as her ears tuned and dialed into the frequency of his words...

"Katon... is useless."

* * *

A few closing seconds of silence. And that was it. That was all he had to say. In that disturbingly blank tone. No hostility. No anger or malice. And yet, it could not have hurt any worse. A death blow to the head, leaving her alone and prone on the blood-splattered concrete with a crushed skull, chin grating painfully on the rough asphalt, a dully numbed consciousness ebbing away into nothing as liquid life spilled out of the wounds.

Somehow, someway, from inside her seat, Sakura was staggering. Staggering backwards inside her chair, reeling back from the sledgehammer which had blasted into her forehead with unabated force. Hopelessly disconcerted, Sakura barely even knew what was coming out of her lips now.

Her own voice, so hollow and distant to her ears, meekly voicing some sort of resistance to Sasuke's assessment: "Is it really... useless?"

"Yes," Sasuke flatly stated. "Useless. Completely useless against anyone of consequence."

_ Like my brother..._

Why was she was even here...

"But... Sasuke-kun... I think..."

"Katon is useless." Sasuke's voice was no longer empty, beginning to carry a hint of bitterness. "It is a useless jutsu. A useless jutsu for useless people."

As soon as he issued that last stinging sentence, Sasuke actually nearly winced in regret. And he added, almost hastily, for his teammate's sake: "Useless people like myself."

The attempt to draw his words away from her, of course, was far too late. Her face and ears were burning a blotchy dangerous red. She was practically hyperventilating through her nose, her pale lips sealed shut due to the teeth buried deep inside them. The eyes, needless to say, were bubbling at the brink...

Incredibly enough, her hands had been on autopilot all this time, peeling and slicing the apple into amazingly neat pieces of eight (amazingly neat considering her crude expertise with fruit knives, that is). And now, totally on their own impulse, without any direction from her mind whatsoever, her hands thrust out the plate and apple towards Sasuke. Offering. Not knowing what else to do.

Sasuke stared at the plate and apple. The cheerfully white china, its edges gilded with a golden chrome and colorful flower buds intertwined with vines. The eight slices of bright yellow fruity flesh...

He snapped.

So fucking happy, Sasuke raged. Everything here was so fucking goddamned happy. This plate, this apple, this goddamned sunlight pouring onto my goddamned face, even the fucking pink paint of this goddamn hospital, all these fucking colors, these fucking happy colors, this fucking village was always so fucking goddamned happy. This stupid fucking girl, why was she here, why was she trying to make him feel better. Nothing she could say to him, do for him, feed him, give him, motherfucking nothing, ** nothing** could make him feel better, why the fuck did this stupid crybaby teammate of his not understand this, why the fuck didn't anyone understand this?

Upon catching up with Sasuke, Kakashi had droned on about forgetting revenge and being with loved ones, no, no, fuck that, no. Fucking Kakashi, what the fuck did he know, oh, he said he understood, after all, he grew up during tough times of war, blah blah, cry a fucking river. No, fuck that, nothing could change the fact that **_he_** was still out there. **_He_** was out there, running scot free, his family's blood still dripping from his fingers, surely laughing at his weakling brother, and no one could do anything about it. No one could serve out justice, no one could dole out the revenge that **_he _**fucking deserved. Fucking Kakashi, fucking hokages, what did they know? They were not strong enough. They could not kill **_him. _**No one out there could kill **_him_**.

Only he could kill **_him_**.

That was what he had thought, at least. That was what he had told himself for all these years. But now, here he was, sitting with two broken legs and a bunch of fucking apple slices in front of his god damned nose, _**god damnit, **_ _**fuck this. Fuck this. Fuck all of this, why are these fucking apples in my fucking face?!**_

* * *

Outside, underneath the gorgeous crystal-clear skies of Konoha, Team Eight was walking down the pathway which led to the front entrance of the hospital. They were here to pay a brief visit to their former classmate, the bedridden Sasuke, and to wish him well on his recovery... the bug boy Shino was out in front, plodding in front of the other two by a tiny bit, and his normally placid face was unusually tight today, darkened with irritation.

The cause of Shino's irritation now raised his rowdy head, as Kiba, with black eye and all, popped out from behind the bug boy to cartwheel right into Shino's line of vision. "So, so, Shino bro! How did your little date go yesterday?! Spill it, lover boy! Spill it all out! We wanna know! We wanna _ know_! Right, Hinata?!"

"Well... um... " The bashful Hyuuga girl was twitching her fingers together in that nervous tic of hers. "If Shino doesn't want to tell us anything, it's okay... I mean, we should respect his privacy..."

"Ah, privacy shmivacy, yah yah yah! Man, I got me a black eye thanks to Lover Boy's scheming! The least he can do is hand over the juicy details!"

Kiba was still cartwheeling from side to side, staying in front of Shino as a howling Akamaru now sprung forth to join the acrobatics. But now Kiba stopped the cartwheeling, the dog boy choosing instead to move about in a more dignified manner: walking upside down on his hands.

Shoes high up in the air and waving to and fro, the heels-over-head Kiba now urged Hinata further. "I mean, come on, Hinata! Don't tell me you aren't even the slightest bit curious! You know how stuck Sakura is on Sasuke! Don't you wanna know how Shino could even get her to look his way, let alone go on a date with him?!"

Shino finally spoke. "It was not a date. We merely took a walk."

"Oh no no no! Ino told me that you gave flowers to Sakura, man, and she took them! Therefore, that counts as a date, my friend! Oh ho ho, you smooth cat, you! Tell me all your secrets to pimping!"

"Well..." Hinata piped up now, her fingers flickering in a frenzy. "I guess I am a little curious..."

"Ah, there it is! Hinata said she wants to hear! It's two against one, Shino!" Kiba flipped back onto his feet now and he stood directly in Shino's path, aiming a finger at the bug boy's face. "You, my main man, have been outvoted! Spill it!" Finger still trained towards Shino's nose, Kiba now obscenely wiggled his pelvis like a flirtatious Hawaiian hula dancer (minus the grassy skirt, of course). "We wanna know what you did with Sakura, lover boy! The nitty and the gritty, the dirty and the nasty! We wanna hear it all!"

Shino simply sidestepped past Hawaiian Hula Kiba, and the bug boy continued on his way.

"Hey!" Kiba stopped his hula dancing. "Hey, what gives, Shino? You're still not gonna talk?! Man, what kinda teammate are you anyway?! Haven't you heard of democracy?! Majority rules, right?!" The dog boy started to hustle after Shino now. "Hey, bug man, this is your team leader talking to you! Your team leader_ commands_ you to spill the beans - oof! What the heck!"

Shino had abruptly stopped walking, and the yammering Kiba had plowed straight into Shino, bonking his nose against the unforgiving back of the bug boy's neck. Holding a hand over his bruised nose, Kiba howled, "What did you stop for, man?! Damn, that hurt like a bitch! Maybe Ino really did break my nose yesterday!"

* * *

Shino had already tuned out the dog boy's clamoring, as, with tight tense lips, he said with as much urgency as his deadpan voice would allow: "Sakura-san, what's wrong?"

Sakura had just emerged from the hospital doors, and to put it bluntly, she looked like a human trainwreck. Her pretty face was all bloated and contorted in a reddened tearstained caricature, her clogged sore throat was issuing horribly miserable sniffles and whimpers, her nose was running wild in a transparently slobbish mess, the normally meticulous hair was now frazzled all over the place in a style normally favored by woebegone unkempt bag ladies, and she was slowly hobbling along with the uneven club-footed gait of a shellshocked bomb survivor...

Before she could answer Shino, Kiba stuck his head around the bug man to get a good view of what was going on, and he succinctly exclaimed, "Oh shit! Sakura!"

A visibly worried Hinata now emerged from the other side of Shino, her fidgeting fingers drawing to a standstill. And now Team Eight, in its entirety, just stood there, looking at the humiliated Sakura...

One final sniffle, and Sakura sucked it all in for now, trying her best to put on a brave face and a happy smile. "Oh, hi guys! I was just, you know - "

Kiba blurted, "What's wrong?! Did Sasuke die or something?!"

"No, he didn't die..." She was already faltering, and she quickly turned away and shook her head in denial. "Nothing's wrong, don't worry about me, guys... I'm okay..."

She was crying again, and Shino's tight face drew even tighter, his skin more taut than that of a hyper-extended snare drum. An embarrassed Kiba was rolling his eyes this way and that, trying not to see or hear the pathetic sight before him...

Only Hinata knew what to do. With surprising assertiveness, she grabbed Kiba by the sleeve and began to drag him away. "Come on, Kiba-kun, let's go visit Sasuke like we planned."

Kiba blinked as he found himself being dragged down the sidewalk. And he began to protest, waving his arms about. "Huh? But wait, Hinata, I wanna know what's wrong!"

Hinata replied with scary finality: "We can find out later,"

"Huh? Uhh, okay, if you say so...." Kiba's voice faded out, the dog boy actually intimidated by Hinata's suddenly eerie voice, and he decided that maybe it would be better if he went along with her wishes. He then bowed his head down, so he could whisper to Akamaru, who was faithfully tagging along beside his dragged master. "Hey Akamaru! Stick around and listen to what they talk about, okay? Tell me all about it afterwards - "

Hinata scooped up the trotting fluffy white puppy inside her arms. "And as for _you_, Akamaru. You are coming with me."

Akamaru didn't really care one way or another, poking his head out from Hinata's arms so that his doggy nose could sample the scents of the plushy comfy material of her jacket. Kiba did care, however, and he started to pout, obstinately crossing his arms like an angry five-year-old as Hinata dragged him through the automatic sliding doors of the hospital entrance. "Man, I wanna know what's going on... and when did you get so scary all of a sudden..."

* * *

As Sakura struggled to compose herself, Shino forced himself to relax his face into an expression that was not quite so murderous. He was more than smart enough to know what had just happened, and right now, anger was not the way to go. Even if that Sasuke guy was the biggest asshole on the surface on this planet.

"Sakura-san, do you want to sit down?"

Too ashamed to look anywhere but down, she nodded in gratitude as she snuffled, "Yes, let's sit down."

Shino's first step was a little hop, as he made sure to take his place beside Sakura. Then, without a word or touch, he somehow managed to steer her tear-blinded bumbling self towards the direction of a large circular water fountain. Her steps were frustratingly slow and unsteady, but Shino said or did nothing, other than to match his pace with hers. Slowly. Patiently. Carefully.

After a dreadfully long time for such a short distance, they had finally navigated their way to the fountain, a towering marble statue of the first and second hokages standing back to back, with softly babbling streams of water cascading downwards from their outstretched hands. The two seated themselves on the broad lip of marble surrounding the fountain's pool. At least the belated walk had served a purpose, giving Sakura time to pull herself together. The heaving sobs were now reduced to minor inwardly hiccups, her face's color had returned to some semblance of normal, and the tears were a thing of the past. One final great sigh, and at last, she was able to look up at Shino with a small sad smile. But at least, it was real.

"Wow, that was embarrassing, huh?"

"Mmm..." A shrug from Shino as, from behind those sunglasses, he stared off towards the hospital. "Only a tiny bit. Do not worry about it."

A tired chuckle from her. "A tiny bit?"

"Mmm... hmm." Shino tilted his head a nanometer to the side. "Do not worry. My teammates understand. Or, at least Hinata does. As for Kiba, well." A seemingly helpless shrug. "It may take him a while."

Another tired chuckle from her. "Well, as long as he doesn't make fun of me or anything..."

She sniffled for the umpteenth time, and she reached up to wipe her runny nose with a bare arm - a starchy white silken handkerchief appeared before her bewildered eyes, as Shino's voice floated down from above: "Here."

"You have a handkerchief?" A grin of amazement as she took the proffered cloth. "I didn't know you carried around a handkerchief with you, Shino-san."

"I carry one around, just in case." He decided not to tell her that he started carrying one around only after he found out that she was more susceptible to emotional (a.k.a. crying) outbursts than most. "After all, a ninja must always be prepared."

Finally, a true smile now from her. "Right. Because you never know when you may need a handkerchief during battle."

A solemn nod. "Exactly."

She was not quite sure if his nod was for real or in jest (a 50/50 proposition, really). But either way, the amusement tickled her to no end, up and down, inside and out, and she started to swing her feet from her lofty marble perch. That familiar giddiness, that Shino-san-inspired giddiness, it was beginning to swell up inside her, the warmth rolling and tingling all the way from pink-painted toenails to frazzled naturally pink hair. And the wave of feel-good almost made her forget about that terrible past half hour...

Almost. The feet stopped swinging. The lightened brow fell into a crestfallen shadow. And she hung her head, staring at her now-stilled feet...

Shino waited for her. And as he waited, he looked down at her. Looking. Watching. Listening. He watched, yet he took great care not to stare, because staring would be uncomfortable for her. From behind those mirror sunglasses, his exceptionally observant eyes watched as she reached up with both hands to slowly tuck away errant pink locks of alluringly silky smoothness behind her ears. He also heard everything, his ears attuned perfectly with her being. A muted sickly sniffle from her reddened nose. The squelch of throat and saliva as she swallowed once, the pearl skin of fragile neck roiling about in turmoil...

She could feel his eyes again from behind those sunglasses. Just like yesterday. They were roving all over her, tangible with concern and possessiveness. They moved from her saddened face and the mussed hair to trace over the pearly neck and shoulders... and she liked it. Again, just like yesterday. And now it occurred to her that she had no idea why she let him get away with this. If anyone else ever dared to look at her like this, she would never sit still like so and allow their eyes to do as they wished with her. Even if the visual offender happened to be any other terribly cute boy, she would at the very least be embarrassed, if not outright insulted.

But she was not insulted. She was not even embarrassed, really. Flattered? Definitely. Excited? Of course. But somehow...

The ocean eyes still resting upon her naked toes, she suddenly murmured, "Shino-san?"

Prompt response: "Mmm?"

"Doesn't it ever bother you when people say painful things to you?"

A single nod. "Yes, it does. It can hurt quite a bit, actually."

He was looking straight ahead now and no longer towards her; thus, she now looked up at him with a whiff of astonishment in her voice. "Really? Words can actually hurt you?"

"Of course." A pause. "I suppose I do hide it very well, though."

"Oh." Sakura had to blink at that. For some reason, she had always thought of Shino-san as an impregnable fortress as far as emotions were concerned. She then hastily added, "And Shino-san, I'm not saying that I didn't think you were emotional or anything, but it's just that, you know, you seem very good at controlling them, that's all. I know that you feel, um, emotions and, um..." Her ears briefly glowed as red as her runny reindeer nose. "And, um, you know... stuff."

"Mmm. Stuff." A solemn nod from Shino. "Yes, I do feel stuff all the time."

The unexpected poke at her simpleton oratory skills brought forth a giggle of disbelief. "Shino-san, are you teasing me?!"

Another solemn nod from the bug boy. "Yes, I am."

"Why you!" Energized by the bug boy's challenge, the grinning Sakura sat up, trying to think of a cleverly incisive comeback to retort with. Unfortunately, she had never been good at this sort of thing, and after a moment of mind racking, she gave up. "Arrr. I guess I'll let you get away with that one, Shino-san. But only because I'm too tired to think of anything right now."

"Lucky for me, then."

"Yeah. Lucky for you." Following Shino-san's suit and staring straight ahead into open space, she could not wipe away the big smile creeping onto her mouth, much to her alarm. God, how could she even be smiling like this? So inappropriate, given the hell she had just been dragged through. And yet...

A snug silence settled over them with the comfort of a goose down blanket, neatly tucking itself underneath their chins. So much different from silence with Sasuke-kun, she realized. With Sasuke-kun, she was always on edge, gingerly stepping about on pins and needles. Fretting about what he thought about her. Mincing her words at all times, worrying if she should ever utter something he might dismiss as stupid and shallow...

But with Shino-san, she was comfortable. So warmly comfortable when she was with him. Comfortable... gentle... safe. She felt so safe around him. And so confident. When she was with him, she felt like she could be herself. She could just let go, run hog wild Tonton-style, and do the dumbest silliest things. Throw temper tantrums. Bitch about the pettiest things. Cry and bawl over daytime soap operas. Eat a whole box of bon bons and complain afterwards about how agonizingly slow her metabolism was, how she was so prone to weight fluctuations, how most certainly bad these bon bons were for her, and how she had no idea why she was eating them in the first place.

With his steady silence behind her, she felt like she could do anything. She could lift mountains as if they were merely molehills. She could sprint faster than a speeding bullet (I know, I know, a gun has yet to be seen in the world of Naruto). Perhaps she could even brush and tie and braid that unmanageably thick hair of his into pigtails? Who knew. Whenever she was with him, she felt like anything was possible.

Of course, she was just being absurdly unrealistic now. She could not lift mountains. She was not faster than a bullet. She would never eat a whole box of bon bons in one sitting (she had more discipline than that). And Shino-san would almost certainly never let her put him in pigtails (well, maybe if she asked really really nicely)...

But she did know this. If she ever rested her head upon his shoulder, he would stay there. Motionless. For as long as she needed to rest. For as long as she wanted. For the rest of his life, if need be. He would not budge, and he would not give way for anything or anyone. For her.

That was the type of person he was. Instinctively, she knew that. And, as she sat with him in the growing shadows by the ever-splashing water, she burned for it. She burned and ached so badly for it, the fingers of the wanting flames viciously tore at the sternum of her chest with searing inferno throes. The fire damage beat her down, wore greatly upon her already exhausted self, and it was all she could do to cling to propriety and not rest her throbbing and confused head upon his shoulder.

For a fleeting moment, she almost gave in. The delicate pearl neck and the dainty pink head wavered, and then began to drift... no, gravitate... towards the bug boy. Seeking for his sturdiness. Wanting to bleed the pain away from her boiling mind and onto the cool soft fabric of his shirt (a corduroy shirt, she noted with wry exasperation)...

But she did not. She could not. Because, only a week ago, she had wanted the same from Sasuke. Even now, after all of this, she still couldn't help but think that it would be so wonderful if Sasuke-kun was the one sitting next to her, and not Shino-san... no, she told herself, no! Stop thinking like this! You're not being fair to Shino-san! Granted, she had only known him for about a week or so, but he had always been so sweet to her... and so patient... and somehow even funny... oh, and, of course, it didn't hurt that he was awfully durned cute, too...

No, no, no. Wait. This was not about her being fair. All of this, it was not even about her, really. It was about the two of them. Sasuke-kun and Shino-san. She had to choose.

Of course, for the betting man, the smart money would be on Shino-san. However, Sakura was not a man, and her emotional roller coaster did not play the numbers game; as a matter of fact, it did not even come close to obeying the laws of statistical probability... Sasuke-kun... oh god, he was in so much trouble. Even as Konoha rose again from the remnants of the Sand/Sound war, he was still deteriorating, crumbling, falling to pieces before her horrified eyes. She felt that she knew him better than anyone else on Team Seven, and right now, she was terribly afraid for him. He always tried to put on a show of strength, but she knew that deep down, he was so vulnerable. If the worst came to happen, she knew that he would break, not bend; and then, she did not know what he might do...

But... oh god, but Shino-san was just so good for her... why couldn't her heart just sweep everything aside and leap into his...

* * *

She abruptly stood up and began to mumble, her shame and guilt with no basis at all. "Shino-san, I have to go..."

He made no visible move at her announcement, but she could tell that he was surprised, as he simply asked, "Where are you - "

"Shino-san, thank you." Her voice was hushed but gaining in strength, as, for the first time today, she finally looked deep into the eyes behind the sunglasses. "Thank you so much."

"Mmm. You're welcome..." Oddly enough, the surefooted bug boy was now the confused one, as his perpetually fierce brow wrinkled upwards into worry. He had lost sync with her. He could sense it. See it. Even hear it. His ears were no longer in tune with her. They were not able to fathom the meaning behind the strange tone of Sakura-san's voice just now...

She tried to explain herself to her shoes, but failed miserably. "Shino-san, I just... I just need some time alone... I need to... think..." Unable to come up with anything else, she thickly repeated to herself, "Some time alone..." She looked up from her shoes. "You understand, right, Shino-san?"

He nodded and said, "I understand." Even though it was obvious to her and the whole world that he clearly did not understand.

Back to conversing with her shoes. "Sasuke-kun just needs so much help, I mean... as a friend, I am really afraid for him... I have to be there for him..." She hastily added, "Not just me. Naruto, Kakashi-sensei... we have to be there for him..."

"But he hurts you. Why do you let him hurt you?"

"I don't know... he doesn't mean them, though, really, he doesn't... maybe he feels better if I let him... I don't know..."

Shino was truthful this time around. "I don't understand."

"Well, I guess it doesn't make sense, but..." The tears were coming again, as she realized just how pathetic she must sound to him. "Sasuke-kun needs me. He needs my help. I just know he does..."

For the third time in his entire life, Shino Aburame began to panic. The first time had been when he had heard about his mother's death. The second time had been when he first encountered Gaara of the Sand. And now, the third time. She was somehow slipping through his fingers. Despite all the logic and reason by which he dictated his life with, somehow, someway, she was slipping away. And he had no idea why. He knew she wanted to, but...

"I just can't, Shino-san. I mean, you're so nice and sweet and wonderful, and I know you would never hurt me, you wouldn't do anything like that, but I... I just can't... not now..."

Now the tears were running down her cheeks, and she was running away from him, clutching his handkerchief over her nose as she disappeared from sight, having turned the corner around the open gates of the hospital...

He had stood up, but after thinking better of it, he sat back down. The deadpan Aburame face was empty now. Bewildered. Almost dumbfounded. The veteran genin was a novice at love, and it showed as his eyebrows returned to perpetual fierceness. How did this happen? Why did this happen? How?! Why?!

He sat, hands jammed deeper into his pockets than usual, as he wondered and waited. Wondering about her. Waiting for Kiba and Hinata. He did not feel like going into the hospital and joining his teammates as they wished that Sasuke prick a speedy recovery. After all, it would be unsightly (and simply wrong) for him to pick a fight with, and beat the crap out of, a bedridden cripple.

CHAPTER ENDS

Theme song for upcoming chapter: "Beautiful Disaster" by 311

Notes: Holy moly, I actually updated when I said I would update! A first time for everything, I guess... anyways, if you guys haven't figured it out by now, this is my version of the scene where Sasuke knocks away that apple from Sakura. This was the scene which convinced me that I could somehow pull off a fic where Sakura falls in love with someone other than Sasuke. I mean, what Sasuke did to her in that apple scene was just flat out wrong. Granted, Sasuke has huge issues that most of us can't even begin to comprehend, and I tried to portray a sampling of his problems when I wrote that profanity-laced outburst of his... but still, nothing can excuse the way he treated his two best friends...

So where does this leave us? Sakura and Sasuke are not doing well. Sakura and Shino are not doing well. Shino really does not like Sasuke at all. Could this lead to anything? Oooh, tension...

A lot of readers have asked me why I update so slowly, and my simple answer is this: lack of spare time, energy, and, most dangerously, motivation. I want so badly to finish this story, but I am perpetually busy (even when not in school, much to my dismay), and I sometimes can't help but find the importance of this fic to be awful low on my list of priorities. I don't know if it is lack of inspiration, lack of energy, or lack of recreational reading (I have not been able to read a work of literature for the past half year), but sometimes I just have a hard time getting into the writing mood. When I write emotional scenes, I have to force myself into a really moody and angsty mindset, and frankly, this is difficult for me to achieve. It is so hard that, sometimes, I wish I had written this as an action story with only a little drama on the side, because fight scenes are so much easier for me to write (I have already typed out the majority of the fight scenes)...

Anyways, enough gloom talk from me. I seriously doubt I will be quitting this story. Even if the downward trend in reviews is a bit discouraging, there seem to be enough reviewers out there who enjoy this story (which is all I want, really). And so, I keep at it, for the moment.

I understand if readers are disappointed with how slowly I write. However, I am a very slow writer as far as this story is concerned (I put twenty times more effort into this story than a silly one like Big Bad Hinata; I could sit down for a half hour each day and spit out a full chapter for Big Bad Hinata if I wanted to). I want to pull off this story just right. I want this story to have its intended impression on the readers. I hope you can put up with updates every couple/few weeks or so.

Happy impending new year!


	16. Prelude: Rain Clouds

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters affiliated with Naruto. 

Official Theme Song for this chapter: none

CHAPTER BEGINS

In the middle of the rather expansive backyard of the hospital, a student and her sensei were hard at work (well, at least the student was working hard)...

Boomf! "Nine hundred and ninety **seven**!"

The ball of a sandal-clad foot pounded itself against the well-worn side of a humongous upright tree log, the bark having long eroded away due to the forceful kicks...

Boomf! " Nine hundred and ninety **eight**!"

Burning lungs, a parched throat, and a spongey tongue that felt like a loaf of stale bread.... her body burning and clawing for liquid refreshment... but no, not yet... not until she was done...

Boomf! "Nine hundred and ninety **nine**!"

Dizzy pounding head swimming in topsy turvy clouds... wavering in and out of consciousness... but she was almost there... just one more...

Boomf! One thousand!

Sakura held her extended leg a moment longer, retaining the form of her last picture-perfect front kick. Then: "Aaaya!", as she promptly crumpled like a flimsy paper doll folding into itself. Then she plopped to the ground with a deflated sound of oral flatulence from her fibrillating lips, eyes rolling back into sockets as she uttered a weary moan from the bones. Flat on her back, facing up towards the sky yet not seeing any part of the endless expanse of foamy skyscraping clouds above...

Kakashi's voice drifted into her ears: "Excellent form, Sakura. Your leg speed is improving, indeed."

"Really?!" The praise fueled her empty gas tank for the moment, as she rolled over onto her belly so that she could rest her chin on the ground and lazily rest her eyes on Kakashi-sensei. Unfortunately, what she saw was that the silver-haired jounin had not been paying a single iota of attention to her training, his one eye busy scanning the damn pulpy book of his. Damn that Kakashi-sensei and his patronizing token comment!

Too bushed to even pull her chin up from the evenly-trimmed & mowed grass blades of the hospital's lawn, Sakura chose to simply lay there and accusingly shout through a mouthful of dandelion: "Kakashi-sensei! You weren't even watching!"

"Yes, I was." The copy ninja turned the page. "You kicked the log a total of a thousand times, switching legs after every hundred strikes. The first six hundred were side kicks. The last four hundred were front kicks - "

"Okay, okay, I believe you. Sorry, Kakashi-sensei..."

Sakura closed her eyes as she mumbled her apology into the lawn, her face and limbs spread-eagled so flat against the ground, she looked somewhat like a bearskin rug from a distance (a bear with pink hair, mind you). Then the grumpy kunoichi bearskin rug came to life as, with a mighty heave, she began to drag her exhausted self across the lawn, a righteous crusader seeking to take a draught from the holy grail of kunoichi training (otherwise known as a 20 oz. bottle of fruit punch Gatorade)... with her greedy glowing eyes on the prize, she began to drool uncontrollably -

She paused, as she realized that her body was clamoring and screaming and banging imaginary pots and pans together, trying to gain the attention of her overheated brain. Then, with a sudden horror, Sakura realized that her body was trying to tell her one simple thing: she was on the verge of puking all over the place.

The mere thought of breakfast chunks dispersing from her mouth, it alone was almost enough to set her off. "Bloof!" Her face suddenly turned Lee-san-bodysuit green as, with strength she did not know she had, she shot up to her feet, thinking that at least she might make it to the bushes before her Special K cereal shot up the chute and onto the pristine hospital lawn -

Poof! A squatting Kakashi-sensei appeared in front of her, his hands empty for once, that darned book tucked away god knows where. "Sakura, if you feel like throwing up, I suggest you use this medical jutsu which I am about to show you. Are you ready?"

Frantic nods on her part. "Moorf! Moorf!" Green Sakura, with her bulging chipmunk cheeks and hands clasped tightly over her puckered mouth, could do little else with her reply, in fear of exploding nasty chunkage onto Kakashi-sensei's hip cool face. Then again, despite the crisis she was in, she could not help but sincerely wonder if maybe she should just go ahead and throw up onto his face, thus possibly forcing him to take off that mask of his.

Most likely unaware of his student's possibly evil intentions, Kakashi demonstrated a trio of deliberately-paced hand seals before her. "Do these seals, and your urge to vomit will go away."

"Moorf!" Nodding Sakura desperately went through the hand seals - "Braaap!" A surge of chakra and muscle movement suddenly forced her to emit the nastiest belch she had ever let loose, and she immediately reddened in shame as she exclaimed, "Kakashi-sensei, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to burp on you wait a minute huh?!"

She blinked at the open space before her. Kakashi-sensei was no longer in front of her. Apparently he had anticipated the noxious fumes of the jutsu's side effects. She also noted, with sizable relief, that the jutsu had indeed worked; gone was the urge to spill her guts all over the ground.

His voice from behind: "Good job, Sakura. Are you okay now?"

"Yah!" Even though his voice was as gentle as can be, Sakura still could not help but jump out of her shoes at the unexpectedness. Then she clapped a hand over her thundering chest, hanging her head with a sigh. "Oh boy, Kakashi-sensei, you really scared me... and phew, thanks for showing me that jutsu just now! I was in serious trouble there for a moment!"

The familiar orange book was back out again, as he distractedly murmured, "Ah, you're welcome... as I expected, Sakura, you are showing a knack for medical jutsus... very good, indeed..."

To an outsider, his praise may have seemed insincere due to his multi-tasking. However, Sakura was glowing in delight, because she knew his comments were in earnest; after all, when she had approached him a couple weeks ago for help in training, he was the one who had suggested that she begin to focus more on the medical field.

A couple months ago, she had not even given the slightest thought to becoming a medical nin, hoping instead that maybe she could somehow emulate Sasuke's and Naruto's level of combat jutsus. However, ever since she found out that their wonderful new hokage was a medic specialist, she had been paying a lot more attention to the medical field in her spare time, her mind fairly dancing with visions of herself growing up to become so incredibly strong and smart and beautiful like Tsunade-sama... if she could even be half the person that Tsunade-sama was, she would be so ecstatic! The hokage was so capable... confident... classy and perfect (Sakura did not know yet about the sannin's boozing and gambling history, obviously)... even Sakura's mother wholeheartedly endorsed Sakura's way of thinking, her mom preaching about how medical doctors were paid so well, and how they never had to worry about job security, even though maybe the medical field didn't quite have the glory bestowed upon the combat specialists...

Kakashi shifted his eye from the book for a moment, noting the overwhelming aura of feel-good radiating from his student as she mentally hugged herself, and he smiled a tad from underneath that mask. Very nice indeed to see her back onto her feet, when only a couple weeks ago, she had been so obviously down in the dumps when she first approached him, practically begging him for some one-on-one training. She knew that he was still recovering from his injuries, and that Shizune-san would not allow him to exert himself too much, but maybe if he could just help her out, you know, maybe point out and suggest a few things, teach her some of the more basic jutsus.

He had then proceeded to watch over her as she struggled to toughen herself with various taijutsu exercises. Proceeded to teach her a good number of the basic medical jutsus which he knew (most of them being far more useful than the anti-puking jutsu which he had just shown, of course). Never asked what her problems were, because he had a feeling that, when the time was right, she would talk to him about them... he did know this much. Whatever the problems were, they were pretty darned big to her. She had been training ridiculously hard for the past couple weeks, even by Naruto's/Sasuke's standards, and a good deal of her drive seemed to stem from the need to just get out there and do something to cleanse her mind from whatever plagued her.

With this in mind, he now ventured another suggestion: "Sakura, perhaps you should take it easy for the rest of today. It is not good for your body if you are constantly driving yourself so hard to the point where you are being forced to throw up."

She had bounced over to her Gatorade to guzzle down the glorified sugar water, and now, as she kept the bottle to her lips, she waved off Kakashi-sensei's worries with a hand and an emphatic grunt. "Mmm mmm, moom moo mrrr!" No, no, it was okay, she was fine, really.

"Well, if you say so." Back to the book. "By the way, Sakura, I hear that Tsunade-sama has been holding weekly meetings with the elite genins of our village. You know about them, yes?"

Another murmur into the Gatorade bottle, albeit a halfhearted one: "Mmm." Sakura's eyes had flashed large, but were now downcast as she looked away.

* * *

Yes, she had heard about the meetings. Due to the shortage of manpower, the hokage was now giving very serious thought to the possibility of sending out teams composed entirely of genins for B-rank missions, missions which normally required the presence of at least one chuunin. So Tsunade-sama was now meeting weekly with the village's genins, interacting with and keeping a personal finger on the pulse of the village's youth, gauging just how ready they were for such missions.

The meetings had been going on for a couple weeks now, but so far, Sakura had not gone to any of them. Partially because she did not consider herself to be an elite genin, at least when compared to the likes of, say, Lee-san. Mostly because she knew that Shino-san would be at the meetings, and right now, she was deathly afraid to see him. Deathly afraid that if she saw him, she would find out that he was still fuming and angry about her snub a couple weeks ago, and that he would be so unbearably cold and distant with her, oh god, she just knew that she would start crying again in front of everyone if Shino-san was like that with her, and that would even be more embarrassing than the time she broke down in front of all of Team Eight.

Of course, Sakura did not actually know if Shino-san was angry with her or not. She had not seen him since that hospital incident, and as far as she knew, he had not made any attempt to contact her. She knew that her fears were probably irrational and without base, after all, Shino-san had never been angry with her before, and he was so steady and smart, she was sure that he could see past the superficial rejection and understand her problems, but really, one could never be too sure, he did seem like a proud person, and his pride must have taken some sort of hit, or at least affected in some way.

But then again, Ino had attended the last meeting, and afterwards, she had assured Sakura that Shino-san did not seem mad at all, and that he had even taken the initiative to start the conversation and politely inquire about Sakura's well-being. Ino did admit, however, that she did not spend too much time with Shino-san, choosing instead to pick another fight with that damn Kiba bastard, oh, that damn smelly Kiba and his vehement protests of innocence, Ino fumed, it didn't matter if it was an honest mistake or not, he should keep his mouth shut about such things, that stupid mongrel mutt boy...

* * *

Back to the hospital lawn, as Sakura put down her Gatorade bottle to voice a legible reply now to her sensei's question. "Yes, I know about the meetings..." She then answered the unspoken question. "I have not been attending them... I've been... um... busy... maybe next week..."

"Hmm, I see." Kakashi nodded as he continued to read Jiraiya-san's smutty prose. "Well, I think you should start attending them."

Her agitated response was immediate. "No, no, I'm not ready! Those meetings are for elite genins who want to go on B-rank missions, and I am not an elite genin, I am just, you know, a genin, oh no, Kakashi-sensei, I don't think I'm ready, not yet, maybe a month from now, I'll be a lot better if I keep training with you - "

"Sakura. You are ready." Still reading the book. "Go to the meetings."

"But Kakashi-sensei - "

"Sakura, you have participated in two successful A-rank missions. You are certainly ready for B-rank missions." The eye glanced up from the book now. "Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"Oh, okay..." For a brief moment, she initially wilted underneath his cool gaze. But then the coolness calmed and strengthened her, turning nervousness into resolve as she balled her fists and smiled confidently back at her team sensei. "You're right, Kakashi-sensei! I should be attending these meetings!"

"Mmm hmm. And if I'm not mistaken, this week's meeting is scheduled for today at 6 PM."

"That's right! I will go and attend this meeting!" A zealous nod now. "Yes, I will do that!"

The lone eye disappeared in that squinty smile. "That's the spirit." Back to the book. "Hmm, now this is getting interesting indeed..."

Outwardly, Sakura was all bluster and bravado. But inwardly, Inner Sakura was now tearing her hair out in sheer panic as she hysterically screamed, "Crap crap crap CRAP! Why why WHY did I let Kakashi-sensei talk me into this?! I'm not ready, damn it, no no no! Plus, Shino-san is going to be at the meeting, I just know he is, and the meeting is only two hours away, and I'm so smelly and sweaty and dirty and nasty, my hair's a mess, damn damn damn, I have to go back home and take a shower and pick out something lovely to wear and oh wait, crap, I ran out of body wash this morning, I'll have to stop by the store and buy some more, and aargh, and my hands are so ruined due to all this training, nooo!"

Her fingers spread themselves out for inspection, and she cast mournful eyes upon the scuffed nails, the blisters and band-aids, the calluses, all of these horrid unsightly blemishes which had been popping up all over the place for the past two weeks, nooo, nooo, her hands once had been so beautiful, too...

Poof! Kakashi appeared in front of the despondent genin with that jounin quickness of his, his book tucked away again for the moment. "Watch carefully, Sakura. This medical jutsu is a bit more difficult than the others."

"Jutsu?" The mangled fingers went down (mangled to her eyes, at least), and the gloomy head of Sakura looked up. "What jutsu is this?"

"A skin restoration jutsu. For those who are incredibly vain and picky about their looks." Eye squinting in smile. "In other words, for women."

"Skin restoration?!" Sakura ate that idea up in a hurry, completely ignoring his little poke at her gender. "Show me! Ooh, ooh, show me!"

* * *

Ten minutes later, Sakura was openly glowing again in feel-good as she marveled at the return of her hands' beauty. "Wow, this is amazing, Kakashi-sensei! The calluses and blisters... all gone! Without any scars or marks at all!"

"Medical jutsus are nice, yes?" Seemingly distracted again, due to the book, of course. "Women nin frequently use this jutsu as they get older. It only works well on hands and feet, however. A different jutsu is required for more sensitive areas, such as your face."

Sakura nodded as she absorbed all of this extremely important information. "I see." She then wondered out loud, "How did you learn this jutsu? Do you, um, worry about your hands, too?" She wrinkled her face now. Wait, that didn't seem right. A man worrying about the appearance of his hands?

"Someone showed me the jutsu." Kakashi reached up to tap the headband over his Sharingan. "And that was that."

"I see!" Sakura nodded again, now wistfully wishing she had a Sharingan eye too, for the sole purpose of copying all of the cosmetic jutsus out there in the world. Then she blinked. Wait, a woman was showing Kakashi-sensei her secrets to fair skin and beauty? Oh ho ho, this sounded fishily intimate to her.

A sweet inquiry from her now. "So, Kakashi-sensei, just wondering... who showed you this jutsu?"

"Mmm... a woman."

"I ALREADY KNOW THAT," Inner Sakura bellowed at the jounin's intentionally vague remark, while Outer Sakura carefully probed further, "Who is this woman?"

"A friend."

"KYAAAH! WHAT KIND OF FRIEND?!" Inner Sakura was now bashing around a Kakashi-shaped pinata with a hickory stick, while Outer Sakura patiently continued, "Is it someone I know? Kurenai-san, or Anko-san, perhaps?"

"You don't know her." He was still reading the book, but the air was tangibly different now. "It was a long time ago..."

"Oh, I see!" Sakura automatically opened her mouth to ask another question, but then the underlying meaning of the words hit her over the head with a force equal to the power with which Inner Sakura had been brandishing her hickory stick. "Oh, I see." The girl turned somber, as Inner Sakura promptly let go of the stick and dropped to her knees to lovingly cradle the poor battered pinata inside her arms, apologizing profusely to the misshapen and badly-torn paper mache.

Kakashi coughed as he put down the book. "Well then, Sakura, how about one last bit of advice before we call it a day?"

"Okay!" Sakura instantly nodded, fumbling to put aside the moment of awkwardness behind them. "What is it that you want to tell me?!"

"Mmm... so, before Naruto left on his training trip, he told me that you are trying to master kage bunshin."

"Graack!" Outer Sakura began to choke on herself, while Inner Sakura screeched, "Damn that Naruto! Why can't he keep his big mouth shut?!"

Kakashi squinty-smiled at the kunoichi's redfaced strangling. "Well, Sakura, of course you are aware that kage bunshin is a forbidden jutsu, yes?"

"Yes..." She bowed her head, and the gavel slammed home. Guilty as charged. "Yes, I know."

The squinty smile disappeared. "Be careful with that jutsu once you master it. It requires a large amount of chakra, and it is not a jutsu for trivial use. For example, you certainly should not use it just to impress other people."

"Kyaah, I can't believe this! He knows! He totally knows!" Inner Sakura was now banging herself over the head with the hickory stick. "He knows that I wanted to learn kage bunshin to impress Sasuke-kun!" Meanwhile, Outer Sakura was now saying in her most obedient good-little-girl voice, "I understand, Kakashi-sensei, I understand, I really do!"

"I know you understand. I am just making sure." The squinty smile returned. "Now, as for this other boy you've been thinking about, my advice is this - "

"AHHH, WHAT?!" Outer Sakura and Inner Sakura howled in unison as they ran around in circles, clutching their hair in anguish. What the frick! He knows! He knows about the "other boy"! He knows about Shino-san! Seriously, the Sakuras screamed to themselves, how the fricking heck did he know all this crap?! Could Sharingan read minds or something?!

"Auuugh, oh my god, Kakashi-sensei, how did you know, omigod omigod, this is so embarrassing, I can't believe this!" Sakura was huddled on the ground now, hands wrapped over the top of her head, shielding herself from the whole world who surely knew about this by now. "I can't believe this, I can't believe this, I can't believe this..." She finally looked up from her little spot on the lawn. "Who told you this?!"

"Nobody told me," Kakashi informed his book. "It was just a hunch on my part. Which your reaction confirmed."

"YAAAH! No way, I can't believe this, he was just guessing?! He tricked me! Tricked me!" Inner Sakura was now laid out on a torture rack operated by the vengeful Kakashi pinata, the yowling kunoichi being stretched out to Gumby-like proportions. "Omigod, he is so sneaky, that damn Kakashi-sensei!"

Another cough from him. "Anyways, Sakura, my advice is this. Sasuke knows how much you care for him. Even if you become... ah... friends with another boy." The eye looked up from the book to watch the now-motionless girl. "Sasuke will be fine."

Breathless now. "Really? You think so?"

"Sasuke and I are from the same mold. I know what he thinks."

"Oh... I see..."

Kakashi now looked away, oddly enough. "Also, Sakura, keep in mind that life is short." A whiff of regret now drifted with his voice. "There is precious little time we can waste in our lives. Don't be afraid."

A slow nod. "I understand..."

A heavy silence fell over them, serving to augment the thickening atmosphere as atomized airborne moisture pressed against them from all around... Kakashi glanced to the sky, which was flooded with huge looming smoky-grey clouds. "Looks like it is going to rain tonight."

Sakura looked up with him. "Yeah, it does..."

"The boy isn't Naruto, is it?"

"No, the boy is not Naruto - HEY! What was that question for?!" Sakura flapped her outraged arms in Kakashi-sensei's general direction. "Of course he's not Naruto!"

Squinty smile. "Just wondering."

"Grrr... arrr..." Sakura stewed in suspicion as she eyed the legendary Copy Ninja. "You have your secrets, Kakashi-sensei, and I have mine. Let's just leave it at that!"

An affable shrug from him. "Not a problem."

"Right. Not a problem." Her guard was still all the way up, though. Who knew what sort of sneaky scheme her sensei might have cooked up...

A startlingly loud roar sounded from high above. "Yooosh! Kakashi, I am glad to see that the blood of burning vigor has returned to your face! Are you ready for yet another duel as we continue our storied eternal rivaly?!"

Another startlingly loud shout, this time in a mildly higher-pitched voice than the previous. "Sakura-san! Ignore the rain clouds, and keep training hard! You will persevere, the fiery brilliance of our youth can never be doused by such paltry obstacles!"

Two upright thumbs of encouragement thrust out into the darkening air, and Sakura and Kakashi looked up to see the dynamic duo of Gai Maito and Rock Lee standing at an open window on the third floor of the hospital, their gleaming teeth a shining beacon of hope for those whose moods might be dampened by the impending rainfall. Kind of like a pair of human lighthouses amid the sea of Konoha's population, if you will. Albeit rather ugly lighthouses.

Sakura could not help but smile and wave. "Hi, Lee-san! Hi, Gai-san!"

Kakashi lifted a hand. "Yo."

Lee cupped a hand over his mouth as he shouted, "Sakura-san, if you wish to improve your kick speed further, I recommend that you wear ankle weights like I do! You will be amazed by the results which the extremity of vibrant youth can bring you!"

"Ah, okay, Lee-san!" Her smile's sincerity petrified a bit from the bombardment of the incredibly cheesy motivational cliches. "I'll keep that in mind!" Yeah right. No way in hell was she going to walk around with ankle warmers!

A hand then appeared on Lee's shoulder and abruptly yanked the genin away from the window. Voices of protest ensued as a nurse's bossy voice clamored, "Lee-san, what are you doing out of bed again?! My lord, some people..."

Sakura was smiling as the window slammed shut, then she looked Kakashi's way as she felt his eye move over to her. "What is it?"

A questioning eyebrow rose on Kakashi's forehead...

"No, Kakashi-sensei, the boy is not Lee-san!"

CHAPTER ENDS

Theme songs for upcoming chapter: "Beautiful Disaster" by 311

Notes: Go read chapter 17 now! Yes, I decided to split one big chapter into two smaller ones again. This scene with Kakashi was so different from the following scene with Shino, I decided that they should be in separate chapters. Now go read!


	17. Prelude: Explosion

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters affiliated with Naruto.

Official Theme Song for this chapter: "Beautiful Disaster" by 311

CHAPTER BEGINS

Two hours later, approximately ten minutes to 6 o'clock, the designated meeting time between the Hokage and any genins interested in participating in B-rank missions. Several genins were already standing and waiting beside the closed double doors of Tsunade-sama's office. Neji Hyuuga and Tenten were standing off to one side of the hallway, while Shino and Kiba were standing on the other side, each pair facing the other. Sakura was just now walking up the hall, and the others all noticed her arrival, of course. And they all turned their heads to watch the pink-haired one as she approached to join their little group (except for Neji, who continued to stare at the wall before him).

Tenten was the first to react to Sakura's arrival. Tenten took one look at Sakura's carefully arranged hair and clothing, and the equally careful dainty footsteps. She took one whiff of the exceptionally delicate yet attention-demanding fragrance which Sakura had chosen to anoint herself with, a scent consisting mostly of lily, and maybe a dozen other floral notes. These things, along with a dozen other small things and good old fashioned fellow female intuition, all of them tipped off Tenten to realize the main purpose behind Sakura's attendance this week: Sakura was here to flirt with someone.

Flirt with someone, huh?! Sweet nice Tenten immediately reverted into Evil Tenten mode as she snarled to herself, "That Sakura is here to flirt with my dear Neji, eh?! How dare she do this in my presence?! The bitch is in for a world of hurt, when I'm done with her - huh?!" Tenten blinked in surprise as Sakura walked right past the two, pausing only to wave briefly and say to the older genins:

"Hey Tenten. Hey Neji."

Arms crossed pompously over his chest and still staring straight ahead at the wall, the Hyuuga acknowledged his fellow genin with all the respect of a tyrannical despot spitting upon one of his downtrodden peons: "Humph."

Tenten, meanwhile, was back to sweet nice Tenten, now that it was confirmed that Sakura was not here to sink her claws into her precious Neji. A friendly wave and smile. "Hi Sakura, good to see you!"

A little nervous smile back from Sakura. "Thanks, nice to see you, too..."

She swallowed hard, took a deep breath, then turned to face Shino and Kiba (and Akamaru), focusing so hard on keeping her voice from trembling, her sweaty hands involuntarily wiping themselves all over her hips and mussing up the once-perfectly-arranged skirt part of her uniform...

"Hi, Shino-san, how are you?"

Shino nodded back, the hallway's bright lighting nowhere luminous enough to reveal anything behind those dispassionate sunglasses. "Hello, Sakura-san."

Warning signals went off in Sakura's head. Oh god, it wasn't there. That one thing in his voice which always gave him away whenever he talked to her. Even when he tried so hard to keep his voice reserved and deadpan, his words and monosyllabic grunts always had that one inexplicable and intangible thing which assured her that he, indeed, burned with so much affection, care, and desire for her... that thing was no longer there. Either he no longer felt it, or he had become very very good at hiding it.

Oh crap, she was already starting to panic, no, no, calm down, Sakura, it's okay, he is just hiding it, she told herself. He is still smarting from before, he'll come around, you'll feel it soon enough, please please please... her hands still motoring back and forth in windshield wiper mode, her tongue now switched on, nervously poking out to lick her suddenly dry lips as she tittered, "Long time no see, huh?"

"Mmm." The Aburame nodded. "Two weeks. A long time."

Still not feeling it, she anxiously noted to herself as she rambled, "Sorry, Shino-san, I was awfully busy, I didn't have much time anyway, I've been training a lot with Kakashi-sensei, and I learned a lot of medical jutsus... um... uh... I also did a lot of kicking exercises... um... pretty lousy weather we're having, huh?"

"Mmm. It is raining rather hard tonight."

Oh no, _it_ was still not there in his voice... her tongue came up lame now, unable to produce any conversational topic of interest. But she blindly pushed on, ignoring the amused looks from Tenten and Kiba (Neji was totally ignoring her), determined to continue talking with Shino-san, even if she might spout the dumbest question in the world...

"Um, Shino-san, um, do you know any medical jutsus?" Oh god, that really WAS a dumb question...

A brief shake of the head. "None."

"Oh really?!" Her lame tongue was suddenly spry and nimble, as she immediately suggested, "Maybe I could show them to you sometime, then! That would be fun, right?"

A brief nod. "Yes, it would."

The affirmative answer, unfortunately, did nothing to relieve Sakura's agitation. And this was because his words, although seemingly sincere, were lacking in conviction. They lacked that interest of someone who truly thought that, yes, it would be fun to hang out together and play with medical jutsus. His words were still lacking that one thing which she desperately sought for.

Inner Sakura was now beside herself, sitting on a stool and hysterically wailing with hands in hair, "Oh god, what do I do, I am practically throwing myself at him now, and he's still not biting, he's treating me like some friendly acquaintance or something, he doesn't care about me anymore, he doesn't like me anymore, oh no, no, no, I've totally screwed things up, what else can I dooooo?!"

The conversational momentum had grinded to a total halt. All four tires were mired in mud and spinning hopelessly in place, while her chances with Shino-san were fading with each passing second in the rearview mirror... but what else could she do?! There was nothing else - no, no, there was always the shamelessly and openly flirting option! Maybe she should, gulp, try to act sexy and cute for him! Shino-san was a guy, after all. Guys liked it when girls were sexy and cute for them, right?! Sultry sexy and cute girl, yes, yes, she could do that... well, she was pretty sure she could play that role, at least... oh god, but why was she wearing her usual tired old red uniform?! She couldn't look sexy in this thing, she didn't even feel sexy in it, god damn it, she should have anticipated this, she should have worn something more daring, more revealing, god, so stupid stupid stupid!

Fighting off the implausible urge to rush back home, slip into something a little more comfortable (sexier), and rush back, all in five minutes, the desperate girl now turned to her last resort for maintaining conversation with Shino-san: striking up a conversation with his smelly noisy friend.

"Um, hi, Kiba. How have you been?"

"Doing cool, Sakura, doing cool! Just training and kicking ass, as always!" Kiba was irrepressibly energetic as usual, apparently, as he looked up from the puppy lodged firmly inside his jacket. "Man, shitty weather today, huh?!" He noticed the folded umbrella inside Sakura's hands. "Good idea, I kinda wish I brought an umbrella myself, now that I think about it! Not that I mind getting wet and stuff, but man, it's raining so hard, I can't barely smell or hear anything out there! I can't even smell the territories which Akamaru dynamically marked the other day with his new aerial spin move!"

"Oh. That is, um, interesting..."

Oh my god, Sakura thought to herself, already regretting the tactical error she had just made. He's not talking about urinating in public, is he?! God, please save me, Shino-san! Please say something, anything, talk to me, I don't want to talk to Kiba anymore...

Shino remained silent. On the other hand, Kiba was just getting warmed up, as he boisterously asked, "Say, that Ino friend of yours! She's not showing up today, is she?!"

"Oh, no, she isn't coming." Well, at least he wasn't talking about bodily secretions anymore. "She's doing some special training with her teammates and all their parents." Shino-san, please say something! Anything!

"I see!" Kiba nodded importantly now, as did Akamaru. "Well, that's a good thing, because although I let her beat me up a little last week, this week, I'm not gonna take it anymore! I'm gonna fight back now if she gets all righteous on me!"

"Arf!" Akamaru confirmed Kiba's brave words with a bark of steely resolve.

"Hmmf." A sneer from Neji's direction. "Big talk from someone who let himself get knocked around last week."

"Hey!" Kiba and Akamaru now growled at Neji. "No one's talking to you, butthead! Mind your own business! Besides, I can't just smack around a girl without good reason, you know! Even if she is a total bitch!"

For a moment, Sakura forgot about her crisis with Shino-san, as she now snarled, "Hey, Ino's not a bitch!"

Neji's response was much more composed than Sakura's. "Hmmf. You're just afraid of her."

Kiba hollered at Neji, "I am not afraid of her!" He then briefly turned to the irate Sakura. "Oh, by the way, Sakura, I'm sorry I called Ino a bitch - HEY YOU! YEAH, YOU, YOU SNOTTY PUNK!" Kiba was back on Neji again. "You think you're so tough, huh?! Wanna take this outside?!"

Another Hyuuga sneer, as Neji still didn't bother to turn his head towards Kiba. "Tenten, perhaps we should go outside for a breath of fresh air. The stench of wet dog is overwhelming in here."

While Tenten giggled and fawned over her teammate, a rabid Kiba was frothing in the mouth as he grabbed Shino by the arm and began to shake his friend left and right. "Hold me back, Shino, I swear, hold me back, man, if you don't, I swear, I'm gonna go over there and kick that bitch's ass right now, I'll beat the snot out of that snotty prick! Man, Neji, you're so lucky that Shino's holding me back! Thank your lucky stars that you're going home without a broken nose tonight!"

An exasperated Sakura stood there, watching Kiba hide behind Shino and fling insults towards Neji (the dog boy obviously wanted no part of the Hyuuga). Neji, meanwhile, was completely ignoring Kiba, as he now turned to Sakura, much to her (and Tenten's) surprise.

"Sakura-san. How is Uchiha Sasuke doing?"

"Uh, Sasuke? He's doing okay." The uptight Sakura was getting irritated by the dirty glares which Evil Tenten was shooting her way. God, you stupid over-jealous bitch, we're not flirting or anything, geez!

Kiba stopped shouting at Neji long enough so he could ask, "Yo, Sakura, how often you been visiting Sasuke? Not too often, I hope!"

"Huh?" Sakura was genuinely suprised by Kiba's question. "Why do you say that?"

"Cuz the guy's an asshole, man! When Hinata and I visited him, he didn't even talk to us! He just sat there, staring out the window and stuff!"

"Well, Sasuke is pretty, um, difficult sometimes... but he's a good person..."

She then remembered that Shino-san was standing right there, and a fresh wave of panic rolled through her. Oh god, those words were bad, bad bad bad, Shino-san probably thinks that I like Sasuke more now, damn Neji, damn Kiba, why did they have to bring up Sasuke, of all people?!

She now hastily added, addressing no one in particular, yet the words obviously meant for one person: "Sasuke is a good friend. That's all."

"Pssht. Yeah, I guess." Kiba snorted. "The guy is a total slob, too! When we walked into his room, some nurse was cleaning up apple slices from the floor and stuff! Man, the guy can't even keep his food on his plate! His hands ain't broken too, are they?!"

"Humph. This coming from someone who probably eats out of a dog bowl." That was Neji, of course.

"Fuck you, man!" Kiba yelled. "What's wrong with eating out of a dog bowl, anyway?! It's not like dog bowls are any dirtier than plates, so long as you wash them everyday!" The dog boy turned away from Neji. "Anyways, Sakura, like I was saying..."

Kiba, no no, please stop talking about Sasuke in front of Shino, stupid Kiba, DON'T TALK ABOUT SASUKE!

"... about Sasuke, why do you keep sticking up for that guy, anyway?! Man, if I were a chick, I would totally diss those Sasuke-type guys and hook up with a different type of guy, you know! A guy like, say, my buddy Shino here!" He clapped a booming hand onto Shino's solid shoulder. "Yeah, he's got a bunch of icky bugs inside him and stuff, but so what?! It's what inside that counts, right?!"

Although Kiba's blatant attempt at matchmaking was embarrassing her to no end, Sakura was still able to smile. Mostly because, from behind the opaque sunglasses, she just knew that Shino was rolling his eyes at Kiba's faulty logic, and she giggled needlessly for Shino-san's sake. Meanwhile, Kiba had paused to review his last couple sentences inside his head...

"Wait, uh, what's inside is what counts... icky bugs are inside... ahh, never mind, you know what I mean!" Another pat of endorsement on Shino's shoulder. "Can't go wrong with a tall handsome fellow like Shino here! Even if he is a weirdo who couldn't tell a joke to save his life!"

Tenten was watching with obvious amusement now (Neji was ignoring everyone again), and Sakura was incredibly embarrassed by Kiba's man-pimping, unable to say anything back to the overwhelming dog boy...

Kiba mistook her silence for reluctance, and he decided to try a different stratagem. "Oh yeah, and Sakura, you know what they say about guys with big feet, right?!" The dog boy knocked one of his shoes against one of Shino's obviously large feet. "Heh heh! Eh? Eh?!" A knowing wink. "He's got big stompers, huh?!"

The mortified Sakura was speechless, needless to say. Meanwhile, Shino was finally getting involved in the conversation: "Kiba. You're not helping."

Pure shock from the dog boy. "I'm not?!"

A shake of bug boy head. "Please. Be quiet."

"Oh, okay..." Kiba continued to talk anyway. "Sakura, if I were you, I wouldn't even waste my time on that Sasuke guy! I wouldn't even visit him at the hospital, even if his head got cracked open by a bowling ball! Man, you're not still visiting him at the hospital, are you?!"

Sakura did not even want to answer that question now, afraid of what Shino-san might think...

Kiba finally interpreted her silence correctly, for once. "What, you ARE visiting him?! How often do you see him?!"

Oh no, she had to say something now... fervently wishing that a large piece of ceiling would just fall down and knock Kiba into unconsciousness (and more importantly, silence), she decided that a little white lie couldn't hurt. "Um, I visited Sasuke once last week... but that's about it..."

Tenten blinked at that as she unwittingly said, "Really? Weird. Lee-san told me that you had been dropping by every other day to visit him and Sasuke..."

Sakura just wanted to die. Right now and right there. She just wanted to kill herself and get it over with. End all of the pain, shame, everything. She did not have the courage to even begin turning her head towards Shino-san, but she could feel him. Finally, she was feeling something from him. And it was not what she wanted. Not at all.

He was hurt. Hurt and confused. Not confused in the way that Kiba was. Unlike Kiba, Shino was smart enough to know why she was still friends with Sasuke. But then again, perhaps such knowledge was a curse, not a blessing... with her sixth sense, she could feel that his jaw had tightened, just for a moment. His perpetually fierce brow had creased into an iron knot of agony, just for a moment.

Then, the facial tics were gone. Back to the placid, steady Shino... but the hurt remained. Unmistakable. Resonating between the two...

Then her savior showed up in the nick of time, ending the unbearable silence in the hallway. The door to the Hokage's office opened, and the most wonderful beautiful woman in the whole wide world stood at the entrance, currently donning the magnificent official robes of the hokage, bestowing a motherly smile upon the genins.

"Greetings, everyone," Tsunade said with a cheery voice. "Come on in, and let's get this meeting started, shall we?!"

* * *

The genins were now seated in a row of chairs, the chairs brought forth by a pair of Chuunin assistants whose names almost escaped Sakura at the moment (Kotetsu-san and Izumo-san, if she recalled correctly). Tsunade had taken her seat behind a humongous mahogany desk absolutely laden with towers of paperwork, and the village's leader now took the time to wave a playful hand at the genins from behind the piles of files.

"Hey, you guys can still see me from behind all this, right?"

Even the utterly devastated Sakura had to smile at the Hokage's ice breaker, as she, Kiba, and Tenten grinned and chuckled (the solemn Shino and aloof Neji did not twitch a muscle). Tsunade now took a moment to fastidiously adjust her robes (a hokage had to look respectable, after all), and then she placed her elbows upon the desktop, resting chin upon interlaced hands as she surveyed the genins before her.

"A lot of familiar faces... and a new face today, I see." Tsunade flashed a warm smile towards Sakura. "I had a feeling you would show up. Kakashi put in a good word for you yesterday, saying that you were ready."

"He did? That's nice..."

Despite everything, Sakura could not hold back the happiness that was oozing out of her very pores right now. Oh wow, the Hokage was complimenting her! The Hokage! Oh, that sneaky Kakashi-sensei, she said to herself in delight. He had planned all of this from the very beginning...

Tsunade was all business now. "So, let's get right to it. You are all here because you are interested in participating in B-rank missions. And today, I have some big news for you."

The genins tensed at the impending announcement...

"I have decided that, starting from tomorrow, we will be assigning B-rank missions to teams comprised of genins - "

"YAHOOEY! ALL RIGHT - uh, oops. Sorry." That was Kiba, of course.

Tsunade had to smile at the dog boy's enthusiasm, as she noted that he was merely vocalizing what all of the genins were thinking. The Haruno girl, the Aburame boy, and Gai's students, they were all glowing and bright-eyed, obviously ecstatic. Even the Hyuuga boy was obviously delighted, although he was doing his damndest to hide it with a surly scowl...

"As I was saying, we will be assigning B-rank missions to teams comprised of genins. The only genins eligible for such missions are those who are recommended by their jounin instructors. Most of the missions will be reconnaisance and other potentially non-combative situations, but nonetheless, each team member must have the ability to fight evenly with an enemy of B-rank caliber. These are not games or adventures. These are missions of life and death. Make sure your friends understand this when you tell them."

A collective nod from the genins. Then Tsunade continued. "I will personally choose the leader of each genin team sent out to perform a B-rank mission. Once the decision is made, that is it. The other genins must obey the leader. Any questions so far?"

A collective shake of the head from the genins, as tension was already building between Kiba, the leader of Team Eight, and Neji, the leader of his own respective team...

"Good. Now that the guidelines have been laid down..." Tsunade pulled out a paper packet from one of the piles surrounding her. "I have here a B-rank mission which I believe is suitable for a genin team - "

The building suddenly rocked from side to side ever so slightly. And a muted boom could be heard echoing from outside, the sound waves still alarmingly clear despite the downpour of rain. Still powerful enough to make the window glass rattle and quiver...

* * *

"Hmm?" Tsunade put down the papers, her ears pricking up at the unexpected disturbance. Then her eyes narrowed, and she became serious. Deadly serious, as her mind raced with the possibilities. Yet another guerilla attack? But all of the attacks had been away from the village, while this explosion had been unmistakably within the village walls... or was it Akatsuki? Perhaps it was not a coincidence that Uchiha Itachi and Hoshikigi Kisame had run into Kakashi and Uchiha Sasuke so close to the village?

Either way, she needed to mobilize all available forces. Now. The fingers snapped sharply. "Kotetsu! Izumo! Alert all the clan leaders. Tell them that all available clan members must be ready in five minutes."

"Yes, hokage-sama!" Off to the side, the kneeling chuunin assistants disappeared in a puff of smoke...

She stood up now, emitting a killer intent so stupidly powerful, the genins were uncomfortably shifting and wilting before her, even the normally imperturbable Shino and Neji. And she was not even in full fledged combat mode yet, a fidgeting Sakura noticed... the power of a hokage... truly awesome...

Footsteps could now be heard thundering outside in the hallways, and the doors burst open to reveal a tense-faced jounin with huge dorky athletic goggles (Aoba was his name, Sakura believed). "Hokage-sama! There was an explosion in the western area of the village!"

"How many enemies?"

"None confirmed yet! We're still looking!"

"Find out how many, and who they are."

"Right away!" Aoba disappeared out the door and joined the blurry stream of ninjas flashing back and forth down the hallways...

Tsunade finally remembered that the genins were still here, and she addressed them as she walked out from behind her desk. "You guys, stick around. It's not safe to go out there until we have a better idea about what's going on - "

She stopped walking, in anticipation. And sure enough, a split second later, Aoba now appeared in a boom of smoke, kneeling before her. He shouted at her feet, "Hokage-sama! It appears that the explosion occurred near the Hyuuga estate! No enemies sighted yet! No word on casualties yet!"

All genin eyes were on Neji now, whose forehead had furrowed in an indiscernible emotion... Tsunade, meanwhile, told Aoba, "Find out more. Report back to me."

"Yes, hokage-sama!"

As Aoba headed back out, Tsunade was already surveying the massive map of the village which covered one entire wall of her office. She was sorting statistics in her head, using the figures from this morning's security briefing to estimate how much manpower was currently available here in the village. And right now, the numbers were not favorably adding up...

She grimaced and turned to the genins. "Okay, listen up. Here is your first B-rank mission as a team."

* * *

All of the genins, save for Shino, were floored by the abrupt announcement. Even Neji had to raise his eyebrows... then they stood up from the chairs, fairly brimming with excitement as Kiba, with a violent fist pump, again vocalized what they all felt: "ALL RIGHT!"

Tsunade boomed, "Quiet down!" And Kiba did. Immediately. The Hokage now thrust a finger towards the map. "Hyuuga Neji, you are the leader of the team, and your team will patrol the industrial zone in the northwest quadrant. If you encounter an enemy, do not engage in combat with him. Come back immediately and report the enemy's presence. I repeat, do not engage in combat. If our village is under attack, the enemy's numbers will be far greater than what your team alone can handle. Is that understood?"

"Understood, Hokage-sama." A quick nod from Neji, while an outraged Kiba silently imploded at the frustration of being passed over...

"Second in command will be Aburame Shino."

A nod from the bug boy...

"Third will be Kamiya Tenten."

A nod and grunt of affirmation from the projectile specialist...

"Fourth will be Inuzuka Kiba."

A howl of anguish from the dog boy...

While the utterly destroyed Kiba collapsed to the ground in a demoralized heap, the utterly exhilarated Sakura was fairly bouncing inside her sandals, just glad that she was actually a part of the action. She did feel badly for the grieving Kiba, however, and she stooped down to pat him on the back.

"Don't feel too bad, Kiba. Either way, we're still all going on a B-rank mission, right?"

"No." Tsunade looked squarely at Sakura now. "Haruno Sakura. You are not going with them."

* * *

Sakura was numb, totally numb. As numb as could be. Could not hear, see, smell, taste. She could still feel, however. And right now, all she felt was the genins' eyes. All of their eyes. All on her.

Kiba had stopped writhing, and he now sat on his butt, gawking blankly up at the girl who had been comforting him just a moment ago. Shino-san's brow had twitched, but now he was back to his statue self. Tenten was openly sympathetic, her eyes large and sad. Only Neji remained indifferent to the room's mood, the Hyuuga staring at the map and probably deciding upon a patrol route...

Tsunade tried to be quick and gentle. "I'm sorry, but a standard recon team is limited to four members. It is impossible for a team of five and larger to move undetected."

Sakura already knew that, of course, from the textbooks which she had dutifully memorized during her academy years. But she had forgotten all about it, due to the excitement, and now... oh god, and just when she thought she could not possibly feel any worse than she had during the past couple weeks... or the last fifteen minutes of pure torture... with Shino-san and the heartbreaking canyon distance with which he was keeping from her...

A feeble stammer on her part. "But Kakashi-sensei... you said... he said..."

"Sorry, but Kakashi's word only goes so far. According to the most recent genin evaluations, your skills are lower than everyone else here." Tsunade had no more time for this. "Neji, decide upon a patrol route, then move out." She then placed an apologetic hand on the shoulder of Sakura. "I'm sorry, I truly am. Stay in the building. It's not safe out there."

Then the hokage was gone, heading out into the hallway with Aoba appearing by her side and already barking out another report...

Neji immediately broke the silence, as he placed a taped finger onto the map. "I have already decided upon a patrol route. We will start from the southeast corner of the industrial zone, and then sweep west..."

* * *

While the leader of the team quickly explained the route to everyone, Shino was not listening. He did not even bother to pretend listening, as he turned completely around to face Sakura, who was actually bent over, hands braced on kneecaps, her heaving torso forcefully panting and wheezing, trying to drive away the burgeoning tears.

"Sakura-san..."

Finally. It was back. Back in full force. In his voice. In his gaze. The way he stood next to her. She could feel it. He was not able to hide it anymore. He felt for her. He cared for her. He loved her.

Upon this revelation, she cried even harder now. But insanely enough, she actually wore a smile on her face. A little because she could not help but laugh at the comically abysmal state of pathetic which she had somehow reached. A lot because he loved her, and she was relieved. So relieved that, maybe, just maybe, she would go to sleep tonight with a content smile on her face.

No, not maybe. Definitely. She definitely would be sleeping with a smile on her face tonight. But right now, she had to go. Get out of here. Be anywhere but here. He would understand. After all, she was not one of them. Not yet. That was what her idol, Tsunade-sama had just told her.

"Don't worry, Shino-san, I'll... I'll be fine..."

* * *

She was leaving. And the perpetually fierce brow had wrenched itself to the point of breaking, as he watched the double doors close behind her...

"Hey." A hand on Shino's shoulder now, as Kiba's subdued voice filled the near-empty room. "Come on, man. We got a mission to do."

A rare sigh from the bug boy. But only an infinitesimal one, as he turned back to face Neji and the map. "Sorry."

"It's okay." So, the Hyuuga was not a total bastard after all. "I'll explain the route again from the start. Pay attention, everyone..."

CHAPTER ENDS

Theme songs for upcoming chapter:

"Overload" Club Mix by Voodoo & Serano (Sakura's theme)  
"Somebody Told Me" by The Killers (Shino's theme)

Notes: Oooh, getting exciting now! I wonder what's going to happen on this B-rank mission... nothing else to comment on for this chapter. Pretty self-explanatory, I think... now, I will give one small hint about what's coming up in the next chapter: the next chapter is probably THE most important chapter in this story. It is so important, I've decided it should have two theme songs (a theme song for each main character).. Ok, here's another hint: a lot of the upcoming theme songs are going to be trance / house / dancey techno-like stuff. This is mostly because I think electronica is awesome fight scene music (along with good ol' rock n roll). Which means, of course, that the upcoming chapters will probably have a lot of, well, you can figure it out. :-) Expect the update to happen in about two weeks...

I would also like to thank the reviewers for their feedback. I am glad that you understand the alarming effort which is put into writing. I also noticed that some mentioned how they dislike Sakura, but this story somehow makes her seem more palatable; it's funny, because when I finish this story, in my final notes, I plan to comment on that and a couple other things...

Also, in response to the reviewers, I like tension (it makes for more excitement), yes this story is getting real serious, and as for Shino vs Sasuke, uh, no comment!

One final note. I made up Tenten's last name (Kamiya). I have no idea what her true last name is.


	18. Numb

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Duh. 

CHAPTER BEGINS

Up around the northwest vicinity of Konoha, the slapped-together genin recon team of Neji, Tenten, Shino, and Kiba was just about ready to start its patrol route through the village's industrial zone. It was full-fledged night time now, and although the air temperature was reasonably moderate due to the early summer season, the rainfall was decidedly brisk. Thus, the genins had been forced to take cover underneath a makeshift corrugated tin roof at an ongoing construction site, as they finalized their preparations for the two-hour B-rank mission.

Shino was the first one done with his preparations (he didn't have much to do, since he was always prepared), and he stepped away from the other three, so that he now stood just underneath the edge of the roof, as close as he could be without exposing himself to the rain. Those sunglasses stared out into the shadows. Not really able to see anything into the darkness veiled by the streaking water drops.

The rain was dominating. It was almost all he could see out there. It was most definitely all he could hear. A staccato hollow was what he heard, as countless liquid globes hurtled down from the heavens to impact against the overhead roof. A drum roll of bleak, the sticks rapping hopelessly and endlessly. So appropriate, really, all things considered. Mind numbed. Empty. Half-constructed buildings and thoughts strewn about haphazardly. Numbing emptiness spreading slowly from the core of his body... a few words flooded throughout his mind now, and they drowned away the rain for the moment.

"I should have said more."

Shino did not say this out loud, of course. He always kept things to himself - a defining trait which usually served him well. But on occasion, his overwhelming instinct to keep himself sealed away from the outside, it did prove to be frustrating. And now was one of those occasional moments.

"I should have said more" his quiet inner voice said, a voice as quiet as his outer voice. "She made her choice. She made this clear to me. Yet I remained closed."

He had been breathing gently, rhythmically, through the nose. But now a single gusty irritated puff expelled from the nostrils, as he stared out hard into the night, the icy stare blistering anything which might be casting an unwelcome eye upon him.

"I should have said more."

"Hey Shino"

At the call of his name, the bug boy turned his head to see Kiba and Tenten squatting conspiratorially on the ground, while Neji stood off to the side much like Shino, also staring out into the rain with his arms crossed and Byakugan activated, presumably scanning the area for incoming perpetrators.

Kiba was the one who had yelled Shino's name, big surprise, and he zealously waved for Shino to huddle up with him and Tenten, as he called out again"Hey, you got spare kunai on you, right"

"Yes, I do." Shino took a look at the ground between Kiba and Tenten, and he raised a curious eyebrow. "Why do you need spare kunai"

Shino's curiosity was understandable, because there were already nearly a hundred kunai resting on the packed dirt, arranged in two staggeringly long rows. Even as he watched, Tenten was still not done, retrieving more and more kunai from her opened backpack.

Kiba shrugged at Shino's question, as he stuck a rather rude finger towards Tenten. "I dunno, ask her. She's the one who wants more kunai."

Tenten, now wearing an ivy green jacket of sorts to protect her normally bare arms, ignored the dog boy, counting under her breath as she laid more kunai down, pair by pair. "Ninety two, ninety four, ninety six..." She grunted as she checked her now-empty backpack for any weaponry she might have missed. Then she looked up to Shino. "Kiba said that you would have some extra kunai. Can you spare four more"

"No problem." In the blink of an eye, Shino had flushed open his looming blue coat towards Tenten in a manner vaguely similar as to how a bare-bodied pervert in a trench coat would flash a horrified woman. "What do you need"

"Oh ho." The eyes of Tenten, the weapons enthusiast-bordering-on-fanatic, fairly glowed as she surveyed the interior of Shino's coat. As far as her eyes could see into the depths of his parka, there were rows and rows of gleaming well-oiled steel, the steel shaped and smithed into various implements of death and destruction. Mostly throwing kunai, but there were also standard kunai, two-way kunai, standard shuriken, senbon needles... she even caught a glimpse of three folded windmill shurikens hanging way back there... in a way, the rows of fanged steel reminded her of predatory teeth. If she had been farther away and under the influence of some hallucinogenic mind-altering substance, she would have sworn that the mouth of a silver-toothed demon lurked inside the murky lair of Shino's coat.

She asked rather expectantly"Can you lend me four throwing kunai"

Shino squatted down and began to hand off the requested kunai to her. "No problem."

"Hey Shino, you got a wristwatch in there you can sell to me"

That was Kiba, of course, and Shino shook his head very seriously. "No, Kiba, I do not have any watches for sale."

Tenten smiled at the interaction between the male members of Team Eight, as she briefly tested the weight and balance of each kunai Shino had given her. Standard-issue Konoha throwing kunai, she told herself. Excellent. She would have no problems using weapons of such familiar specifications. "Thanks a bunch, Shino. I suppose you're also a fan of good old fashioned throwing steel"

"I am."

"A recent fan, you mean." Kiba was standing up now. "This guy didn't use to carry all those things before, but ever since he fought that puppet guy, he's been a walking armory ever since."

Tenten's curiosity was piqued. "Really? Why is that, Shino"

"A ninja never reveals his secrets."

She grinned at that. "Ok then, suit yourself "

"Blah blah blah! Never reveals his secrets! Blah" Kiba made sure to flap his lips towards Shino. "I dunno what sort of secret jutsu you got with kunai, Shino, but come on, it can't be _that_ special"

"Oh, I disagree, there are quite a few things you can do with good ol' throwing steel." Tenten emphasized her words with a flourish, as she now unfurled an excessively lengthy scroll from her belt pouch. "Watch and learn, Kiba."

Kiba and Akamaru obediently sat back down to watch, but Shino was not particularly interested. His assistance no longer required, he stood up and headed back to the roof's edge once again. He was back to watching the rain. Buttoning up his coat as he listened to the tinny hollow staccato...

Shino appeared to be spacing out in a zen-like manner, focusing on nothing, cleansing his mind of everything. But nothing could be further from the truth, for his mind was hardly at peace. It was tight, tense, and worried. He worried as his bugs passed information on to him, as they constantly updated him on her movements. Still inside the Hokage building, they told him. She was still inside the Hokage building, which was a good thing. So long as she stayed in there like the Hokage had told her to do, she could not possibly be in any danger -

He winced. Had she just left the building? He held his breath and closed his eyes, as his mind abruptly achieved that zen state of solitude. His mind was now released from virtually all outside distractions and concerns. Bothering to sift only through the constantly incoming bits and pieces of data from his mutualistic partners...

A tight grunt. He was sure of it now. She had left the building. She was now outside, and she was moving slowly but surely away from the Hokage tower. At least she was heading east, and not towards the location of the explosion which had occurred in the western part of Konoha. But still, the fact that she was outside at all, it was disconcerting. That was not the behavior of a person in full control of herself. She was upset, he said to himself. So upset that, despite the Hokage's order, she had buckled and broken down underneath the overwhelming urge to do something, anything, anything but stand still in one place...

She was upset with him. To be expected, really, even though he had tried at the last moment. Just before she had left the Hokage's office, he had tried to tell her that he cared. Tried to tell her that if she wanted or needed, he could walk with her, be with her, and do whatever he could to help (although, quite honestly, he had no idea how to handle a hysterically crying woman, since none of his textbooks had ever mentioned anything about how to deal with such a crisis).

He was almost sure that she had gotten the message, too, even though the only paltry words he had managed to force out of his irritatingly taciturn lips was her name. He was almost positive that she understood what he had meant to say. But there was still doubt. And the doubt, infinitely small upon its inception, was now growing stronger with each passing second. Gnawing away from the inside, feeding upon the inconclusiveness of the wordless gaze which he and Sakura had shared just before she had closed the door behind her...

He was positive that her currently random wanderings were spurred on by this lingering doubt. This restlessness, compelled by wrenching heartache and unfulfilled desires... if someone as stable as himself could be rattled by such a thing, he was almost afraid to imagine what it would do to someone like Sakura-san... yes, he knew that she was strong in many ways... but so fragile in others...

He suddenly realized something. Since she was heading east, he had naturally assumed that she was heading home, since that was where her residence was located. But now, while his bugs continued to update him on her status, enabling his brain to constantly adjust and refine the projected trajectory of her path... he realized that possibly, just possibly, she might be heading for the hospital. Where Uchiha Sasuke was.

This was no certainty, of course. But still... the mere thought of her going back to Uchiha Sasuke...

The cheeks drew taut. Damn it. He should have said more.

CHAPTER ENDS

Notes: Ok, this chapter is awful short mostly because of one terrible reason: I have lost virtually all inspiration for this story. What you just read above, I wrote most of it a long time ago when I still had the inspiration working for me. However, over the couple weeks, I haven't been able to get in the right mindset. I can't instill any emotion behind my words. I must have started and stopped a hundred times, only to find that it is just not clicking for me.

There is a pretty good chance I will come back to this story. After all, I already have the outline, the ideas, the ending... it's all laid out in front of me. I just don't have the ability to flesh it out right now. Time for me to go hunting for a muse.


End file.
